Outlander Book Club: Book 2, Chapter 4 breakdown
Just the Outlander chapter
We start the chapter with Brianna and Roger at Culloden. This is important, going through the history of the clans and how this remains an important part of Scotland.
It’s not just about a war from centuries ago. There are many people in Scotland who can trace their lineage back to some of the men who died at Culloden. Or they can trace themselves back to someone related to those men. There’s a familial connection, that even Roger admits that he feels.
He comes across the Fraser headstone. While he knows from his research that Jamie Fraser is important, he doesn’t understand just how important the headstone is. Brianna lays some heather at one of the stones in the way that others have, although it’s not 100% clear if it’s the Fraser headstone. I like to think that it is.
Roger also shares a little about how Bonnie Prince Charlie got his name, while also sharing more about the Duke of Cumberland. We also get to learn more about what happened after Culloden. Claire had already mentioned the famine during the first Outlander book, telling Jenny to plant potatoes. Roger goes into a little more detail.
The day after Culloden, Brianna heads to the manse to help with the research. She notes that Claire is looking for phone records of a friend, and Roger assumes that it’s a James Fraser to tell him that she and Bree are in Scotland. Of course, we know otherwise!
As Bree and Roger look through things, they find a box labeled Randall. Roger lets Bree take everything from the box except one of his dad’s journals. He uses the excuse that the museum wants all of them, but he also wants to go through the journal.
That’s when he finds the entries from after Claire returned from the past. Reverend Wakefield notes that Claire hasn’t told him anything but he doesn’t think she’s delusional. He can tell she went through something and she refuses to talk about it. Yet, she has told Frank.
In a later entry, Roger reads that Black Jack Randall was buried in St. Kilda. He decides it’s time for a trip there and invites Bree and Claire along.
That’s when we switch to Claire’s point of view. She wonders what Roger wants to head to St. Kilda for, but agrees to go. She also thinks of a promise she made to Frank.