The House of The Spirits by Isabel Allende (1993, Paperback, Reissue)

This book will either strongly appeal to you or leave you profoundly shocked and disturbed. Either way it is a must read for anybody.

The novel is written in three different narratives, told primarily in a documentary fashion, giving it the feel of an epic. The story follows three generations of women in the Trueba family, whose patriarch is the selfish, dictatorial, but ultimately understandable Esteban Trueba.

By naming the female characters of the story specifically to symbolize purity ("Blanca" means "white" in Spanish, while "Clara," "Nivea," and "Alba" embody clarity, snow, and dawn respectively), Allende deliberately explores feminism, setting her story in a society which thrives on conservative, chauvinistic ideals.