A Classic Case: Just like the old days

© Amazon Original Stories

I enjoyed all of the stories in the Amazon Original Stories Busybodies Collection, but I have to admit this is my favorite one. Alicia Thompson’s story A Classic Case reminds me of one of those old classic films from the Golden Age of Hollywood, something with mystery, romance and a simple, yet satisfying story. I didn’t think they wrote them like that anymore since so many things these days are over-the-top, trying their hardest to be cool, and hoping their book will spawn a movie deal, or at least a limited Netflix series. While there is nothing wrong with that in the least, sometimes it feels like the authors are trying too hard. When this happens, I can actually hear notes being given by editorial staff and feel when the changes are made in the story.

I didn’t feel like that at all with A Classic Case. Instead, I simply enjoyed the awkwardness and growing banter between Audrey, a customer at Grant’s Keep It Classic video rental. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Mr. Hoffman, one of Grant’s customers, and a weekly highlight for Audrey on Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. when they would see each other at Grant’s shop.

Thompson peppers her story with mentions of classic films and some of Hollywood’s most beloved actors. This milieu of bygone Hollywood and an appreciation for the past shapes the narrative into an irresistible read. It help’s that I am a Breakfast at Tiffany’s fan and appreciate the line in the story, stolen from Audrey Hepburn’s dialogue about Cat in the film: “Cats belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to them.” By the end of the film, I mean short story, I could hear music swelling and see the credits rolling. I believe Alicia Thompson should try her hand at screenwriting or TV writing because her story read like any classic film and that is what is most important: timelessness.