The Strays, a Stella Prize-winning debut novel by Melbourne writer Emily Bitto, is the 2016 University of Canberra Book of the Year.
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Bitto said she was "absolutely thrilled" to receive the honour.
The book, which is set in Melbourne in the 1930s, is narrated by Lily, the only child of conservative parents, who befriends the daughter of an avant-garde artistic family and is drawn into their life.
University of Canberra Acting Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Nick Klomp announced the award on Wednesday. It is the fourth time the university has given the accolade to an award-winning Australian novel.
The previous winners were Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey (2013), Room by Emma Donoghue (2014) and The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (2015).
The books on this year's shortlist were Lost and Found by Brooke Davis; After the Fire, A Still Small Voice by Evie Wyld; A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz; The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane; and After Darkness by Christine Piper.
This year's book was chosen by a panel that included award-winning writer Marion Halligan, University of Canberra professor Jen Webb, student Mallory Bugeja and university librarian Helen Taylor, as well as Professor Klomp, who came up with the idea for the award.
"We get a shortlist together, we choose a book and we give it to every commencing student when they accept their offer at the university before they begin their study and all the staff get one," Professor Klomp said.
Professor Klomp said recipients had the choice of an e-book or a book and three-quarters chose the paperback novel.
He said the idea was to enable people to have something in common before they began their studies.
They would be able to engage fellow students and staff members in conversation in person or online about the book.
He said the book contents needed to be suitable for the university curriculum, not just in literature or creative writing, and that had proved to be successful in everything from psychology to graphic design.
"It's amazing how they use the themes to work it in."
Bitto completed her bachelor degree at the University of Queensland and undertook her masters and doctoral work at the University of Melbourne.
She said the Book of the Year was "an absolutely fantastic program . . . I wish it was something I had access to when I was an undergraduate".
She said she would return to the university during orientation week to meet students and hoped to have an ongoing relationship with the university.
