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This latest work is populated with individuals pursuing clean slates, trying to break free from substance abuse or harmful partnerships, only to see hope turn into aggression. The author frequently uses the phrase "clean slate", rendering it deliberately jaded through its repetitions. Sentences like "He aimed to start over" and "They opted for a clean break" appear throughout the text. Meanwhile, Kraus herself is embarking on her own fresh start, since this presents as a different type of work – observational, authentically narrative. Yet it turns out to be packed with the recurring issues and styles as earlier books.

From Unplanned Author to Renowned Book

Kraus was originally an creative who transitioned to writing unintentionally with her 1997 cult classic I Love Dick, made up of letters to an unreceptive lover, transforming intimate women's literature from self-debasement into assassination. She persisted as a writer, but the next trio of fascinating and rebarbative novels missed the impact and rawness that the letter form imparted to the narrative voice of I Love Dick. This was not aided by was her position as a renegade artist who had become a major property owner, so there was much discussion on property transactions. It makes sense that she presently aims to explore fresh narrative sources, directing her gaze to other people's stories, at a time when she asserts that contemporary political climate renders personal narrative redundant.

Several Eras, Shared Inescapable History

The Four Spent the Day Together is structured in three parts, spanning three generations – each trapped by their pasts. The book includes the story of characters Emma and Jasper, based on Kraus's parents, relocating from the urban environment to rural Connecticut. Additionally the story of Kraus herself, in the persona of protagonist Catt Greene, grappling with the late recognition of I Love Dick, the ascent of a political figure, and her partner struggling with addiction Paul. And there is the account of a killing of one lost young man by another in a locality mostly forsaken by liberal ideals only a brief drive from Catt's cottage in rural Minnesota.

For this reader attracted to refined literature of the type Kraus typically rejects, I was enchanted by the narrative style of the opening part.

As someone who reads who favors precise prose of the variety that Kraus often disregards, I was seduced by the storytelling approach of the first section. It exhibits a new quality of attentiveness that makes room for small details, like the bucket that the protagonist as a child pries out of frozen water at the start of the story, helped by her cherished parent. "I found an ice toy!" she declares; "a nice toy", he replies, "the nuanced interpretations of terms rolling around in their mouths like piece candy". The author narrates the tale of Emma with curiosity and intimacy. "Emma felt like she'd stepped into a dream – not entirely her own."

Frustration and Disruption

I was destined to be disappointed when I wished this fresh tone could continue through the novel. Kraus says here that she dislikes the satisfaction audiences such as myself have taken from I Love Dick; she's devoted to fragmentation, to the untidy aesthetics she echoes from her idol author Kathy Acker, and the blankness and repetitiveness of her previous novels comes back in the second segment. Catt Greene is working on refurbishing three dozen dilapidated units in the city's most challenging districts while traveling between Minnesota and LA, unable to aid Paul curb his addiction. She feels helpless as Paul moves between poorly supported positions as an addiction therapist in a environment driven by the rage and anxiety that underpins Trump's victory. There are several pages about Catt's social media ostracism on social media, her professional designation altered from "writer" to "real estate holder" on Wikipedia. She still gives the impression to invest excessive emotion about this. On one occasion she says that she's researching the homicide so that before leaving Minnesota, "she could potentially understand something about an America that her Twitter detractors would not understand, would not even perceive".

The Killing Story

Thus we arrive to the murder itself – and the titular day passed by the deceased with the killer and his companions. The author possesses great source material, and knows hour by hour what occurred as Brandon came to meet Brittney after connecting via an application where she marketed explicit images. He sought a sexual encounter but seems affably to have spent the day with her companions, loitering fixing his automobile and covering the cost of food and substances, before being killed by gunfire by her romantic interest Micah – a young, mentally ill man who has repeatedly received inpatient care for aggressive outbursts.

Obsession and Unfinished Business

Catt gets obsessed by the account, and I was fascinated by the way that Kraus's dual urges towards ethical reporting and reckless transgression tussle in this section. However, I would have preferred her to delve deeper into her individual preoccupations here. The compelling persona is Brittney herself, who gains dimension partially because of the protagonist's connection to her – a similarly gifted, tormented individual spiraling out of control in a troubled, forgotten town. Kraus tells us that Catt converses with Brittney in prison, but she doesn't dramatise these conversations. The complete segment feels oddly unfinished, to the extent that Kraus's narration ends almost mid-par