Outlander Book Club: A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 5 breakdown

We get to find out why MacDonald is at the Ridge in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 5

Just two chapters ago, Donald MacDonald turned up to talk to Jamie. It’s time to find out what he is there for in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 5.

MacDonald clearly doesn’t like the Native Americans, but that isn’t why he had to see Jamie. The focus is actually on places being burned down. Even ships have been burned. And there is clearly one common denominator in all these attacks. The people are linked to those emigrating from mainland Europe instead of Britain.

It’s clear from this chapter that there is much more to the story of cabins being burned down. This doesn’t really foreshadow anything. Instead, it offers some plot development.

However, there is another reason MacDonald is in the area. He needs to get Jamie to give land to some new people emigrating to the country. There are lots of other great places to settle, but it seems nobody has much land available, so Jamie is the one to turn to.

This isn’t a chapter that has been used on the series just yet. Could it be partly used during Outlander Season 6 and beyond? I’ll take a look at that in the adaptation section.

As mentioned, there’s a bit of plot development happening here. I also think there’s a little bit of foreshadowing in the form of reactions when talking about bringing new people to the Ridge. I’ll get to all that in the foreshadowing section.

Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 5.