Sophie Stocking Boeken

Walking Leonard and Other Stories , is a short story collection of roughly 30,000 words in the literary fiction genre. The stories depict unspoken pivot points in the lives of ordinary people. Themes include responsibility and violation between parent and child, nature as a protective force, and the shucking off of various selves in the process of a lifetime. The stories spring from the foothills of southern Alberta, specifically Calgary, and some even more specifically from the historic neighborhood of Bowness, once a small town in its own right.

The narrative delves into Bernadette Macomber's complex relationship with her estranged father, Fabian, whose suicide prompts her return to confront the past. Struggling with guilt and a desire for understanding, she seeks answers in his chaotic life, while Fabian navigates an afterlife filled with bureaucratic challenges and encounters with the demon/angel Bune. Their intertwined journeys explore themes of familial bonds, addiction, and the quest for redemption, ultimately questioning how to reconcile their tumultuous connection for mutual peace.