Outlander Book Club: Voyager Chapter 11 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

We pick up the Voyager chapter with Jamie and John continuing their weekly dinners. Their discussions are mostly about the prisoners and what they need, but it’s also a time for John and Jamie to get to know each other better.

John shares a little about his past, his time at Culloden. He talks about Hector and how Hal made him see Hector’s body; it was important for closure. This is something Jamie should understand. After all, he still doesn’t know if Claire did get to her own time. He just has to hope that she and the baby got to the 1940s and to Frank.

The chapter then brings up the past, Prestonpans. Jamie shares that he knows who John is and that he found John a worthy foe. While John doesn’t quite believe him at first, Jamie points out that any man should be scared with a gun held to his head. That isn’t something Jamie judges.

Instead, it’s all about why John chose to give up his comrades’ position not for himself but for the sake of someone else. John believed Claire’s life was in danger. Sure, she wasn’t. John feels a fool for believing it, but Jamie doesn’t view it as stupidity. It showed John is a man of honor; he will do what it takes to protect someone he believes needs protecting.

During the chapter, the two are playing a game of chess. This is when we get to see John’s personality. He’s excited about beating Jamie, and he struggles to contain that excitement. He’s so calm and collected most of the time, knowing that he needs to be as a major, but there are times we see emotion. We see him as a 26-year-old man who wants to win but also relishes a worthy opponent.

Sadly, the chapter doesn’t end with Jamie leaving on a happy note. During the talk, John puts his hand on Jamie’s hand. There’s a moment where something flashes in Jamie. We know exactly what it is for Jamie, knowing what happened at Wentworth Prison. John doesn’t know any of that, so he’s taken aback when Jamie threatens him and then leaves.