Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

In this gritty debut, two brothers are being raised by Slim, an infamous escaped convict with a big heart while the boy's mom and stepdad are busy running a huge heroin operation. Eli is the younger whip-smart brother while August, the older brother, is mute and might be a wee bit psychic in his air written messages. Both brothers must stay one step ahead of some really rough drug lords as they try to save their delightful convict babysitter, mom, and dad as well as each other. The violence of their situation and a constant fight for their lives will leave them tough and a bit battered but this is balanced by the love and gentle teachings of Slim and the obvious love and blind loyalty of the two brothers.