Never Did the Fire unfolds in the humdrum of everyday working class existence, making the afterlife of an agitator that of anyone living next door. For one old couple, brought together years ago in an underground cell, the revolution has ended in a small apartment, a grinding job caring for the bodies of the unwell well-to-do, and all the aches and pains that go with a long life and a long marriage. Untethered from the political action that defined them, and mourning the loss of their child, their bonds dissolve, but the consequences of their former life, and their dependence on each other, won't let them go.A literary icon in Chile and a major figure in the anti-Pinochet resistance, Diamela Eltit is at the height of her powers in this novel of breakdowns. Never Did the Fire evokes the charged air of Chile's violent past, and the burdens it carries into the present-day, when the structures we built, and the ones we succumbed to, no longer offer us any comfort or prospect of salvation.

Gerdes' brief but informative introduction makes clear that he has been a sensitive reader of El cuarto mundo. The two narrators, although twins - one male, one female, tell different tales and use language very differently. Translation is competent, but Gerdes' own language lacks the dynamic energy of Eltit's, perhaps because he follows the Spanish structures so closely"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

Combining the political intrigue of a dictatorship with the development and failure of a passionate love, this novel imparts a vision of contemporary women that transcends borders and language. The narrator and her partner examine the futility of their affair and the death of their son against the backdrop of the defeated Left-wing revolutionary plan. The author presents high-voltage emotional situations in a subtle, seductive way and discusses women's roles throughout the book. The novel also deals with what it means to prepare for old age and death in the 21st century.
"Combinando la intriga politica de una dictadura con el desarrollo y el fracaso de un amor apasionado, esta novela imparte una vision de la mujer contemporanea que trasciende fronteras y lenguas. La narradora y su companero examinan la futilidad de su aventura y la muerte de su hijo contra el telon de fondo del derrotado proyecto revolucionario de izquierda. La autora presenta situaciones emocionales de alto voltaje de una manera sutil y seductora y discute el papel de la mujer a lo largo del libro. La novela tambien habla sobre lo que significa prepararse para la vejez y la muerte en el siglo XXI."