"The Boy, the Bird and the Coffin Maker" by Matilda Woods

An audio book. It's described as "Middle Grade, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Young Adult" etc, not the kind of book I'd usually read.

It's set in a village called Allora (Italian?). Fish fly onto the shore. Rosa and Clara Finistre ("windows" in Italian) live on a hill next to Alberto, a carpenter. A plague kills his wife and 3 children. He makes coffins for them, like Russian Dolls. He makes a coffin for himself too. He goes to all the funerals from then on. 30 years later the mayor asks for a grand coffin to be made for him.

di Ponto thinks he can earn a living by being a fisherman, but people can pick up fish for free. Miss Bulito, who's been in the village for about a year, is found dead. Alberto uses his coffin for her. His house is repeatedly burgled. He discovers that a boy (with a companion bird Fia) is the culprit. He's Tito, the (previously unknown) son of the dead woman. Alberto teaches him woodwork. He saves Tito from the snow. Tito sleeps for 12 days, then wakes. Fia has an injured wing, which is why it flies in circles. It grows from the size of a sparrow to a hawk's size. Tito explains to Alberto that he and his mother had to flee South from Bolzano to escape from Tito's policeman father, who's still looking for him, which is why he hides. Alberto reads him a story about an explorer, Geo, who finds a mountain called Isola which was full of marvels and became an island because of so many tears.

Tito's father stays in town, does house searches, offers ever bigger rewards. Tito puts himself at risk of discovery by visiting his mother's grave. Alberto's old friend Enzo helps him keep his secret. Rosa dies, the fish stop flying. di Ponto begins to earn money. Fia disappears for days, returning with something from Isola. In the night Tito and Alberto sail away in the Mayor's coffin.

An enjoyable read.