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Outlander Book Club: A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 4 breakdown

Alexandria Ingham
Alexandria Ingham

Claire and Jamie

Outlander Season 5 -- Courtesy of STARZ

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Outlander — Courtesy of STARZ

Roger and Brianna spend some time together in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 4

We get a quiet chapter that focuses on life in the backcountry for Brianna and Roger in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 4. It’s time to break things down.

There isn’t much going on throughout the chapter. This is one about Bree and Roger living their lives, but also finding ways to remain connected to each other. One of the things that I love about the Outlander books is that we get to see married life after the “happily ever after” moment. That “happily ever after” isn’t possible without some work.

Maybe I need it at times considering how things have been for me recently. I need to see chapters with men and women putting in the effort to remain connected both physically and emotionally to each other for the rest of their days together. The years are long without that connection.

The chapter wasn’t really used in the series, though. I get why that is when it comes to fitting a lot into the series, and I’ll share my thoughts on that in the adaptation section.

I also don’t really see much in the way of foreshadowing. I’ll get to that in the foreshadowing section.

Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 4.

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Outlander — Courtesy of STARZ

Just the Outlander chapter

We start with Brianna in the pantry. A raccoon has gotten in, and that raccoon has left quite a mess. Brianna has to look at everything that’s been damaged because of it.

When Roger gets there, Brianna throws something at him thinking he is the raccoon. She quickly apologizes when she realizes he’s not. Roger assesses the mess and is disappointed by the same thing that Brianna is. The raccoon got into the maple syrup. I love how we see that the two of them are on the same wavelength when it comes to items that are important to them right now.

Brianna spends time making up for hitting Roger in her anger at the raccoon.

Later on, Roger notes that it’s been some time that she’s seen Brianna naked. Not at night. They spend a lot of time connected in that way on a night. He’s thinking about it in the daytime. It’s been too long since then.

I love that we see that the two want to connect with each other. They have their day-to-day lives to get on with, but they also want to be with each other physically and mentally. That’s what this chapter is all about. We get that chance to see how the two continue to remain connected in mind and body, and that’s so important when it comes to books that involve life. Marriage and relationships aren’t easy, but we get to see how they can work.

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Outlander — Courtesy of STARZ

Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter

I don’t see all that much in the way of foreshadowing in this chapter. I guess the main focus is how the two work to stay together, to remain in love with each other. Maybe that’s where the foreshadowing is.

It doesn’t matter what is to come in the future. The two will find their way back to each other, and they will still love one another deeply.

Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter

The chapter wasn’t used in Outlander Season 5, and I doubt it will be used in Outlander Season 6. These types of scenes just don’t work for a TV show. We may see quick scenes here and there, but we won’t get the full focus of how the couples remain connected to one another.

TV shows need to build the drama and intensity each episode. There just isn’t the space for the slower moments throughout the season. Not in the way that the book can offer them. Think about how the books can build up the pace, an event is over, and then the slower chapters arrive as the focus returns to life in the 18th century.

The series just can’t get away with doing something like that. It wouldn’t work, especially for the fans who only watch the show or will watch the show first. This is something we just have to accept when it comes to book adaptations.

What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 4? Let us know in the comments below.

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Alexandria Ingham

Alexandria Ingham

Alexandria Ingham is the Site Expert at Claire and Jamie, Precinct TV, and Last Night On within the FanSided network. She is also a contributor at many other sites, including Show Snob, GeekSided, and Winter Is Coming, and has been with FanSided since 2016, writing about Game of Thrones, Outlander, Grey's Anatomy, The Boys, Supernatural, and much more. When she's not writing, you can find her curled up with a good book or an intriguing dystopian or fantasy TV series. She is also a freelance writer for hire in niches such as lifestyle, entertainment, parenting, budgeting, and more.