Book excerpt: CROOKS IS A CONTEMPORARY LITERAL NOVEL THAT HAS DARKNESS OF TEXTURE, IT IS THE WORLD OF ELSA,JAMIE AND PATRICIA AT A VERY EARLY AGE THEY LEAVE THEIR VARIOUS HOMES WHERE SO MUCH WAS WRONG AND CRUEL ADVENTURE IT IS,BOTH GOD AND BAD SOMETIMES NAIL BITING AS THE YOUNG ENQUIRES THE OLD WHAT WILL HAPPENS NEXT,BUT THEY CAN NOT ANSWER THEM WHEN THE READER HE ORE SHE ENTERS THIS INTELLECTUALLY DEMANDING INTROSPECTIVE THAT ANNA BERGMAN HAS CREATED WILL FIND THEM SELF INVOLVED AND ENABLED TO LEAVE CROOKS EXPRESSES A CONTEMPORARY WISH TO EXPRESS THE IRONIC CONTENT OF MUNDANE REALITY THE PAIN OF GROWING INTO A HARSH BLEAK WORLD AND THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF THE BOOK A WORLD THAT CAN BE OVERCOME BY FRIENDSHIP AND WILLPOWER ANNA BERGMAN WRITES ELEGANTLY AND PENETRATIVE