Outlander Book Club: Drums of Autumn Chapter 17 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

The chapter starts off relatively tame. We’re getting to know what Roger and Brianna are doing now.

It’s time for Roger to pack up everything and move out of the Manse. After all, it’s not his house, but that doesn’t make packing things up any easier. The house belongs to the church, although the new minister doesn’t want it. Fiona and her fiance will move into the place instead.

Brianna touches on the house her mom and dad had. It’s time to put that on the market since she no longer lives there, but it’s not easy.

This brings up some emotions. Brianna admits that it’s been hard with her mom gone. It’s not like her dad where he is dead and she can grieve. Instead, Claire is in the past and Brianna doesn’t feel right grieving her—although nobody seems to pick up on the fact that in today’s world she will be dead.

Brianna is dealing with so many emotions right now. She’s dealing with Frank’s death, learning that she’s the daughter of an 18th-century highlander, and having to grow up effectively an orphan because her mom has gone back to the past. And part of her feels guilty for researching Jamie because Frank was her dad.

After she manages to get her emotions out, she goes to sleep with Uncle Angus, the stuffed animal. Roger continues to pack things up, which includes the family tree that Reverend Wakefield had drawn up. Roger thinks about the part of the tree that isn’t right, the bit where he becomes the changeling baby.

Later, things have settled a little. However, this is where we get more of Brianna and Roger’s feelings for each other. They both want each other, but Roger is trying his hardest not to do anything before marriage. He wants all of Brianna and not just her body, but does she want the same thing?