Malva visits Claire’s surgery in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 22
We get to meet Malva Christie for the first time in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 22. It certainly foreshadows a few things for the character.
She turns up at Claire’s surgery for the ointment for her father. However, Malva isn’t just there for that. She has an inquisitive mind, wanting to learn more about Claire and her study. It’s a great chance to see what Malva could have been, and it is a shame to find out how she turned out in the end.
I do hope that things don’t change with Fanny in Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. I’m not going to go into that too much for those who haven’t read ahead, but I want to see Claire with a young woman she can teach and bond with who doesn’t turn out to be a villain.
The chapter hasn’t yet been used for the series. However, I fully expect to see this chapter in Outlander Season 6. After all, we know the Christies are coming, and there’s no way we can’t see the sweetness to the character before getting the bad part of her storyline.
There is a lot of foreshadowing in this small chapter. It’s clear that Malva is going to be a much bigger character in the story. Now we just need to find out what that will be.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 22.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Malva showing up for the ointment. While there, she takes a look through Claire’s surgery and the black book that Claire writes in. Claire is more than happy to show Malva the book and answer a lot of questions.
This isn’t surprising. Malva is a young girl. She is naturally going to be inquisitive, especially when her father has noted that Claire is probably some sort of conjure woman. Malva even notes that Tom says the black book is full of spells. It is just the time period and not something I put too much focus on.
What I do focus on is the type of questions Malva asks. It’s clear to Claire that this is a young woman who is eager to learn. Claire offers Malva a chance to help her in the surgery. This is the start of what could have been a positive friendship. It’s just a shame that the Christie men completely ruined things.
While I don’t say that Malva is completely innocent, she is a product of trauma and abuse. We have to remember what her brother is like. I’m not going into that here. Let’s get into the foreshadowing section for that. This chapter just makes it clear that Malva is not the witch that some Outlander fans will make her out to be.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
The chapter foreshadows a few things for Malva. The first is more plot development. Her interest in Claire’s surgery makes it clear that she’s going to become an assistant to Claire.
The rest of the foreshadowing is in things to come. It’s clear that Tom talks a lot about Claire based on comments Malva says in this chapter. This isn’t just because Tom doesn’t trust Claire. He’s building up feelings for her.
We also get a comment about pregnancy. We know that Malva is pregnant later on and that the baby is her brother’s. This is likely to play on her mind during this chapter, and it certainly foreshadows the trouble that Malva is about to cause.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
We haven’t seen this chapter used yet, but that’s because the Christies haven’t shown up just yet. We do know they’re coming, and that means this chapter is likely to be used in Outlander Season 6.
Will we get this chapter exactly as written? I think we’ll get something close. The only way to feel any sympathy for Malva is to get to know her away from her brother and father. We need to see the bond form between Malva and Claire, and that means we need the assistant storyline.
Isn’t Marsali Claire’s assistant on the show? I have a feeling that Marsali’s pregnancy, finding out Henri-Christian is a dwarf, and her actions at the end of Outlander Season 5 are going to combine to see Marsali choose to step away from being Claire’s assistant, and that will open up the opportunity for Malva to step in.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 22? Let us know in the comments below.
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