Outlander Book Club: Drums of Autumn Chapter 38 breakdown

A child on the Gloriana has smallpox in Outlander Book 4, Chapter 38

Roger gets another chance to witness the harsh life of the 18th century in Outlander Book 4, Chapter 38. We get to the point where there’s a passenger with smallpox.

It’s a difficult part of the book for many. It’s important to look at this story from the point of the 18th century. Even Roger admits that there’s nothing he can do for the smallpox sufferers and tells himself that throwing them overboard is the best thing to do.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s going to sit right with anyone. It’s certainly a chapter that brings up a lot of emotion for the reader.

And yes, it was used for the TV series. We had to experience that life of the 18th century; experience everything that Roger was going through. After all, it also leads to him taking a risk for Morag MacKenzie. It leads to Roger’s life almost ending because of is actions.

The chapter is on the longer side than the last few, coming in at around 36 minutes. It’s also packed with detail through Roger’s thoughts about the situation.

Let’s dive into Drums of Autumn Chapter 38.