Leave Our Bones Where They Lay

by Aviaq Johnston

Every solstice, Jupi―just as his father did before him, and his before him―must make a nearly impossible pilgrimage to light an oil lamp at the base of a remote cliff. There he must wait for Kipik, an ancient being who has bound Jupi’s family to a mammoth task: share a story every visit that appeases the fickle Kipik, or suffer unthinkable consequences.

For decades Jupi has made the trek, growing grey and exhausted carrying this burden. Nearing the end of his life, Jupi knows he must name a successor, someone from his bloodline who can carry this weight and pass it on to future generations. But Jupi’s life has not been easy. His three children, one deceased, one incarcerated, one addicted, are not suitable successors. So Jupi must connect with a granddaughter he barely knows, whose language he barely speaks, and convince her to carry the weight of their family, perhaps their whole community, for the rest of her life.

This moving collection explores shifting definitions of what it means to be accountable to others, how family and community are defined, and how the spirits and demons of the past (both personal and legendary) are very much alive today.

136 pages, Paperback

Expected publication April 7, 2026

About the author

Aviaq Johnston is a young Inuk author from Igloolik, Nunavut. Her debut novel Those Who Run in the Sky was released in the spring of 2017. In 2014, she won first place in the Aboriginal Arts and Stories competition for her short story “Tarnikuluk,” which also earned her a Governor General’s History Award. Aviaq is a graduate of Nunavut Sivuniksavut, and she has a diploma in Social Service Work from Canadore College. Aviaq loves to travel and has lived in Australia and Vietnam. She spends most of her time reading, writing, studying, and procrastinating. She goes back and forth between Iqaluit, Nunavut, and Ottawa, Ontario.

Reviews

[Translator Monkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I'm between books, I often look around for the niche categories of my want-to-read stacks, one of which is "indigenous voices". I often find them to be a refreshing look at familiar territory, like having a foreign friend visit your hometown and marvel at everything you take for granted. And I'm certain that the same applies when I ooh and ahh over indigenous writing that I've just stumbled on that everyone else has already been into. But I digress.

I'm tickled pink to have stumbled upon this book, and to have been fortunate enough to receive an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.

"Leave Our Bones Where They Lay" introduces us to Jupi, an elderly Inuk who must make a difficult journey five times a year to light a lamp and await the coming of Kipik, an ancient, mysterious spirit, with whom Jupi's ancestors have had an agreement - every solstice, a storyteller from the family will have to provide a story to Kipik (who often fails to attend the storytellings). Jupi understands that he must identify a new storyteller from among his sons, as he is entering the winter of his years and the journey is becoming no easier to make. But each of his sons - for their own reasons - are unable to fulfill the role. Kipik has made it clear to Jupi that if the next storyteller in line is not identified and makes good on his obligation, the last (Jupi himself) will have to spend all of eternity in rather dark circumstances. At wit's end, Jupi turns to his very young granddaughter, Maati, with whom he has very little connection or contact. He understands that, in doing this, even as she appears willing, without her knowledge or approval he would be tying her to the weight of the same lifelong obligation that he has carried.

In the book, Jupi's story is split up by the stories he regales Kipik with. During the setup for each story, after Jupi has been rewarded with Kipik's arrival, the two engage in a weary dialogue as if between two old friends, albeit with a hint of sass and danger. After all, we're still not sure what motivates Kipik to press Jupi's line into telling stories for the former's apparent entertainment.

I enjoyed this book for so many reasons. First, we see and feel the frustration of the older generations with the younger and youngest generations, seemingly eschewing traditions and rituals for the ease of 21st century life - television, Nintendo, fast food, Skidoos. As Jupi's story progresses, we are given the ability to understand how each of the generations encountered are able to cope with the inherent changes brought to us by time and technology, as well as each other, up- and downstream.

I also appreciate the author's use of language - not just Inuit, but other closely- and not-so-closely-related languages. By book's end, I was reaching for the Googlesphere to guide me through the pronunciations. The author also does not stick to traditional storytelling when Jupi is entertaining Kipik. Rather than pulling fables from his own ancestors' times, he crafts new ones using modern-day characters dealing with modern-day problems. It's an appropriate touch for Jupi by bringing Kipik out of its own dimension and into Jupi's world and challenges.

By book's end, we gain an appreciation of the entire picture put before us. It's not a question of a jigsaw puzzle coming together, but one of stepping back and getting a bigger picture, an appreciation of all of the characters, the good, and bad, and the ghastly, across the main story and each of the fables, and seeing their contribution to the whole.

Aviaq Johnston should be proud of this slim novel. It was a treat to read.

[Enid Wray]

Interesting collection of linked short stories. I always love reading titles from Inhabit Media - a window into another world.

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me access to an early digital review copy.