I have yet to read something by Chris Kraus that I did not love (someone once told me that you like either her fiction or her non-fiction and never both, but this is not true for me!) and while love is a weird word to use for this quietly devastating novel, I did love it. The story follows our central character, Catt, in three timelines - the first is her childhood in Milford, the second is her life with her husband in Minnesota, and the third is her obsession with a crime that happens close to where she lives in Minnesota. The novel is largely about addiction and all that it can destroy. Having spent a lot of time in northern Minnesota near the iron rage, homelessness and violence and poverty as an effect of addiction is sadly common, as it is in so many parts of the states. And there seems to be no end in sight to these crises, which affect so many people. Kraus’s writing makes this sad story bearable, in my opinion. She writes sentences in a way that you don’t think about until you finish a chapter, sit back, and realize that she’s fucked you up without you even noticing it. Highly recommend.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is one of the most relevant and relatable novels given the times we live in right now. There are so many themes with current and recent events that this book reminded me, it’s all really happening. It’s told in 3 linked parts which made it easier for me to follow. I think I liked Catt most of all simply because she follows true crime (relatable)! Also really enjoyed that it’s not just about “poor” people but also the rich so there’s something in this for everyone.

This book is a revelation.
In The Four Spent the Day Together, Chris Kraus unravels the chaos of modern America—not through grand pronouncements, but through an intricately layered story that echoes with real pain, real questions, and real consequence. There’s a quiet brilliance in how she lets the parallels unfold: the lives of teens caught in a violent spiral, the narrator's own unraveling, and the systems that bind and fail them all.

Kraus doesn’t just write about addiction—she examines the culture that allows it to grow unchecked, the blurred lines between help and harm, love and dependence, privilege and survival. This isn’t a tidy morality tale. It’s raw, unnerving, and jagged. The blend of autobiography, found texts, COVID-era reporting, and official records gives the narrative a real time feeling. You’re not just turning pages—you're slowing moving to the end times of American Culture.

This is not an easy book. But it’s unforgettable. Kraus moves between memoir, reportage, and fiction with such ease that the boundaries collapse, and when it lands, it doesn’t just break your heart. It leaves you staring at the pieces.

For fans of hybrid narrative, social critique, and deeply personal storytelling, The Four Spent the Day Together is a must-read. It’s one of the most devastating and important novels I’ve read in a long time.

#Scribner #TheFourSpentTheDayTogether #ChrisKraus #LiteraryFiction #HybridNarrative #AddictionNarratives #TrueCrimeAndFiction

A hauntingly stark look at families, poverty, childhood in the past and present, and overall what it means to be different, The Four Spent the Day Together is told in 3 seperate (although entertwined) parts. While the writing is evocative, the walls of text and no dialogue tags made this a bit of slog to get through. The story mainly focuses on Catt and her upbringing, then moves on to her relationship to Paul, really digging deep into her childhood trauma and behavior which then seeps itself into her relationships.

The last third of this book is the titular "four" who spend the the day together, but to be honest, there's a lot stuff going on that then never goes anywhere. The other con is that there are way too many characters who are just thrown in to beef up the world building but it feels overdone. I'm also not entirely sure why Catt's story is so much of the book's focus to then pivot in the last third and have her be the vehicle to which we learn about these teenagers, but maybe it will work for some readers.

Overall, the story and the way it was told just fell flat for me and didn't live up to the hype of the blurb.