Outlander Book Club: Voyager Chapter 40 breakdown

Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter

Most of this chapter is just about setting up the journey across the seas. It’s a stepping stone needed to see Claire and Jamie across to the West Indies, giving us little bits of information about the ship the Bruja and where it is likely heading. We also get that little bit about the gold that will help us understand who is after it now.

However, there is a little bit of foreshadowing. It’s all about the meeting with the reverend. Mr. Willoughby does not like the reverend and notes that the reverend is not a good man.

Claire initially thinks that it’s just because Archibald visits brothels, but there is more to this. We get little hints of where the story is going. Remember that it was mostly prostitutes killed by the serial killer in Edinburgh. Mr. Willoughby seems to have his suspicions—at least, I don’t think he fully knows the truth just yet.

Adapting the Voyager chapter

The majority of this chapter wasn’t used in the TV series at all. All we got at the start of Outlander Season 3, Episode 9 was Jamie and Claire meeting with Jared. He had arranged for the Artemis to take them to the West Indies because that is where the Bruja is meant to be heading.

Skipping so much from the chapter makes sense. We don’t need the build-up to the voyage in a season with just 13 episodes. The story needs to remain focused with every scene now leading to something.

Mentions of Master Raymond aren’t needed. The scene running into Archibald Campbell is pointless since the murderer storyline was skipped.

The only scene I wish could have been included was the one where Claire visits Faith’s grave. However, re-reading Dragonfly in Amber recently made me remember that Claire and Jamie don’t have a scene visiting the grave before they leave France for Scotland. So, this scene was, in a way, included in Outlander Season 2 instead.

We also know that Claire and Jamie haven’t forgotten Faith. They have both talked about her at an earlier point in Outlander Season 3, and I think that’s why she was mentioned. Stillborn and miscarried children are never forgotten.

What did you spot while reading Voyager Chapter 40? Let us know in the comments below.

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