A newcomer arrives at the Ridge with a letter from a friend in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 8
We start Part 2 of Outlander Book 6 with a short chapter. It’s a letter from a good friend of Jamie Fraser.
Lord John Grey and Jamie continue to keep in touch through letters. I love their friendship. Even in a time when it’s not easy to remain in touch with people, the two value their friendship with each other.
It’s no longer just about their friendship, either. Lord John also sends his regards to Claire and Brianna. He has connected to the entire family, and he isn’t going to let these connections disappear. He’s willing to put in the effort to keep them, and vice versa.
The letter has been delivered by a stranger. This is when we get to know a little about Bobby Higgins, who is about to become a much bigger character in the books. He’s even still around in Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.
There isn’t much in the way of foreshadowing in this chapter. Nor has the chapter been used on the series. The chapter itself probably won’t be used, but I’m curious as to whether Bobby will be introduced in the series. Will this be another character written out and overlooked? I’ll get into my thoughts about that in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 8.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter is just in the form of a letter. Lord John Grey is writing to Jamie, being sent through a man called Bobby Higgins.
We get a little bit of information about who Bobby is. He has become John’s servant more due to his circumstances than anything else. Bobby has a damaged eye and other injuries due to his involvement in the Boston Massacre. We don’t get the full story just yet, but it’s going to come.
John has sent Bobby to the Ridge to see Claire. While nothing can be done about Bobby’s eye, John hopes that Claire can help with other ailments. We don’t get to know what those ailments are in this chapter, but it’s clear that Bobby is going to be around for a while.
Lord John also sends his regards to Brianna. He hopes that Roger doesn’t take offense to that.
One thing this letter does is make me love Lord John Grey even more. He didn’t have to take Bobby on as a servant. He could have just left Bobby to suffer, but he wanted to give this man a chance. While he didn’t like Claire at first, he does admit that she’s talented and skilled. When it comes to getting Bobby the medical help he needs, he trusts Claire to help.
I enjoy letters like this. We get John’s personality through them, something that is missing when we get other characters talking about him. When other characters talk about him, it’s really their perception of the character and not the actual character.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There isn’t that much foreshadowing in this chapter. Really, it’s just setting up a new plot for a new character. It’s giving Jamie and Claire someone else to help, someone who will become a good person to have around.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
It all comes down to the adaptation. We haven’t seen Bobby Higgins brought into the show yet. That doesn’t mean we won’t see him show up some time in Outlander Season 6. After all, the Christies were introduced in the books in The Fiery Cross, but they’re not coming into the show until Season 6.
Will the way Bobby turns up change? During Outlander Season 5, we saw Lord John Grey take Ulysses as his servant to get Ulysses out of the colonies. Ulysses had killed a man and would be hanged for that regardless of the circumstances. Jamie didn’t want that to happen so asked Lord John Grey to help with the situation.
Bobby Higgins is John’s servant in the books. Now, there is always the chance that Ulysses goes off on his own when he gets to England. John could then still take on Higgins as a servant in some way. We also know that John is back in Outlander Season 6, so it certainly opens the door to Higgins becoming John’s servant and turning up at the Ridge.
This does depend on whether the show will bring in some of the storylines from the seventh book. Higgins is connected to Amy McCallum at the end of A Breath of Snow and Ashes and their storyline continues in An Echo in the Bone.
I’d personally love to see Bobby included, but I understand if he isn’t. It would mean finding an actor for a role that isn’t needed all the time, and definitely not that much during the storylines from the sixth book. However, I would love to see the show include someone else who Jamie can turn to in a time of need and fully trust with his life since we didn’t get Duncan Innes.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 8? Let us know in the comments below.
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