Was Malva and the fingers storyline in the Outlander books?

There are times that storylines are added into the Outlander show that don’t seem to come from the books. Did Malva and the fingers storyline appear?

Caution: There are spoilers from the Outlander books in this post. The spoilers come from A Breath of Snow and Ashes.

Watching the Outlander show when you have the books in mind can certainly be frustrating. There are times that the show adds in storylines that are completely made up for the series. Then there are times that they seem made up, but they do actually have a basis in the book storyline.

During Outlander Season 6, Episode 5, we saw Malva cutting the fingers of the dead Sin Eater off. It was a shocking moment that seems to connect her to that love charm the women found. However, it also hints that Malva is up to something dangerous, and she doesn’t seem to mind dead bodies and potentially killing them.

Does Malva cut off the fingers of the Sin Eater in the Outlander books?

The question is whether that happened in the books. While it didn’t, this wasn’t a complete fabrication for the series. There is something in the books that suggests this could happen.

It’s worth noting that we never get a part of the book told from Malva’s point of view. If we saw Malva cutting the fingers off, either someone we do get the story from would have seen her or we would have needed part of the story from her point of view. It’s a flaw in the Outlander books. There is a lot of “telling” rather than “showing.”

In fact, Malva’s actions are told to us via Tom telling Claire. After he confesses to Malva’s murder to save Claire, Tom shares some of the things Malva did. Part of what she did included collecting parts of the Sin Eater’s body and placed them in jars. She used the items in food to try to kill Tom and Malva.

So, while we don’t see it happen, it is easy to believe that something like this did happen. The show offers us a third-party point of view, showing us the actions of individuals instead of just being told about them later. This is one of those cases.

What did you think about Malva’s actions? Are you ready to see what’s to come next with her story? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander airs on Sundays on STARZ.