by Megan Roberts
Originally meant to be a true crime novel in the tradition of “In Cold Blood” and “The Executioner’s Song,” Chris Kraus’ latest novel “The Four Spent the Day Together” began with a newspaper article Chris read while living in a cabin and escaping the pressures of LA.
It would have been a departure from her usual style and Chris stated very matter of fact her usual style is “literary fiction based on my observations and experiences.”
After two years of befriending the teenage perpetrators, speaking with friends, families, neighbors, and the police, Kraus realized she couldn’t get deeper below the surface and lacked material. She described the impact of meth and mining on the Iron Range and a “pervasive numbness.”
Chris, in a moment of trying to make sense of the town, of the story, tells us of a connection across place and time; how this town reminded her of the town she spent her early childhood in, and how her early childhood and family were topics she has never turned her pen to.
What emerges is what Chris does best, taking her own experiences, observations, and experiences and crafting them into a novel that is fiction and truth entwined into one. Part exploration of a crime, part story of her partner’s experience with addiction, part story of her family—all a larger story of the American working class and what Kraus described as a “devolution of American working class life.”
When asked by an audience member how she was able to connect and build bridges with all of the people she interviewed for this book, Chris answered that the story of her partner’s addiction helped her bridge the gap as an outsider. Addiction after all is a great equalizer. Chris describes her experience as telling of the “intelligence and tenacity of people in impossible situations.”
As a reader, I have to end with another question at the end of the program: how do you put yourself into these books and stories?
Chris replied that her character is there as an anchor or guide, but it is the journey that’s important. “My observing and understanding is really the heart of the book.”
I am always happy to sit down and pay attention with Chris as my guide.
Megan Roberts is a 2026 KWLS Teacher & Librarian Scholarship recipient. Librarian, reader, and teen advocate, she lives and works in Virginia Beach.
