Outlander Book Club: The Fiery Cross Chapter 5 breakdown

Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter

The focus of this chapter is on letting us know about the events at Hillsborough. It’s setting the seeds for the rest of the Regulator storyline to come.

So, where’s the foreshadowing? It’s really in Claire’s thoughts about Brianna. It’s clear that Brianna likes to have the help where she can, but Brianna is certainly not cut out for this work. Eventually, Claire will find an apprentice to help her with the surgeries.

It won’t be until A Breath of Snow and Ashes that we really see that happen, and it doesn’t end up that great!

Adapting The Fiery Cross chapter

We didn’t get the explanation of the events of Hillsborough. One thing the series could do was show us Hillsborough instead. This is where I do think the show greatly benefits in the storytelling. We’re not just stuck with the viewpoints of specific characters. Instead, we get to see events happen outside of the Frasers and MacKenzies.

Seeing Hillsborough is far more powerful than just being told. People can elaborate or just leave out bits of information because they didn’t see the events clearly enough. Mr. Goodwin knows very little apart from what happened to his friend. Outlander Season 5 managed to show us the events, giving us this visceral image of what the rioters were willing to do.

It puts us in the shoes of the people who were there. We get to see the damage to then decide whether we’d be on the side of the Regulators or not.

What did you spot while reading The Fiery Cross Chapter 5? Let us know in the comments below.

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