Sofie Laguna's novel about love and anger has won Australia's most esteemed literary award, the Miles Franklin.
Melbourne-based Laguna receives a cheque for $60,000 and a place among Australia's writing elite for her novel, The Eye of the Sheep.
Judge Richard Neville said the power of Laguna's novel lies "in the raw, high-energy and coruscating language which describes the world of central character, young Jimmy Flick".
The tale is about a poor family struggling to cope with a different and difficult child, Jimmy.
His mother is the only one who can manage him and keep him out of his father's way, teaching him to count sheep so he can fall asleep.
Laguna studied to be a lawyer but quickly realised her talents lay in writing and acting.
She has written picture books for children, novels for young adults and her debut novel for adults, One Foot Wrong, was long-listed for the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 2009.
Laguna has written the screenplay for her book One Foot Wrong, the film of which began pre-production in 2014.
She beat shortlisted books from Christine Piper, Joan London, Sonya Hartnett and Craig Sherborne to secure the 2015 title.
The Miles Franklin Award was established in 1954 by the estate of My Brilliant Career author Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin to celebrate the Australian character and creativity.
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