Bridge of Clay: Markus Zusak

Our mother was dead. Our father had fled
Five Dunbar brothers are living – fighting, loving, grieving – in the perfect chaos of a house without grown-ups.
This is a family rocked by tragedy and long buried secrets. To understand his family’s story, Matthew Dunbar must travel to find three things. A lost typewriter -- A dead dog -- The bones of the snake that killed it.
He will learn of a mother who crosses continents for a new home; of a father searching for love in the keys of an old piano; and, finally, of a brother named Clay, who will make the most challenging journey of them all, and change their lives for ever.