Claire goes through the items she needs to pack in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 8
We pick up in 1777 with Claire and Jamie preparing to leave North Carolina in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 8. They’re not planning on leaving long, but they need to pack enough supplies.
There is a bitterness to this chapter. As Claire runs through the items she’s packing, she thinks about the fire. This then leads to thoughts about Mrs. Bug. Despite Mrs. Bug’s flaws, we’re reminded that she was a kind woman to the Frasers for some time. Of course, it was a matter of survival for Mrs. Bug, but that doesn’t necessarily take away from her actions.
This chapter is full of ghosts of the past. We’re also reminded of Nayawenne and the Muellers. I love how the conversations flow with connections to the past. This is how real life is.
There are some good elements to the chapter, though, including some sweet moments of life at the Ridge right now. I love seeing how Bobby is connecting with his stepsons.
I do sense a bit of foreshadowing in this chapter, and I’ll get to that in the foreshadowing section. As for whether it will be used in the TV series, I think so, but not in full. I’ll get to my thoughts on how that could work and which parts are necessary in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter8.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Claire taking stock of everything she’s packing. There isn’t much, with some items borrowed and some salvaged from the fire. Sadly, her apothecary chest didn’t survive the fire, but some of her surgical bag did.
We also get to learn that Jamie and Ian have been collecting the gold over time and moving it somewhere else that’s safe. It’s not in the same place as the whiskey, which they’ll need to tell Bobby and Amy about so they can get the two to keep making whiskey while the Frasers are away.
There are mentions of the past sprinkled throughout the chapter. Thoughts of Mrs. Bug come up as Claire thinks about the food they’ve eaten recently, and then a mention of Germans brings up thoughts of the Tuscarora and Nayawenne. At another point, there’s a mention of Claire and Jamie’s ages, and Claire thinks about the fact that she’ll come into her power when her hair turns white. That hasn’t happened yet.
Claire also thinks about Arch Bug in this. She hopes that Arch is dead, but they will all need to see the body. Otherwise, Ian will always be worried about Arch’s threat.
Jamie and Claire also get some private time together. Jamie hasn’t seen Claire naked in four months, and he wants to see her now. Again, we get this reminder that Jamie is still deeply in love with Claire and vice versa. Love is an action and a choice. The two make the choice to always love each other even when they’re angry with each other, and I love we see how that is throughout the books.
Other mentions of life are about the men taking baths. We get this moment of Bobby and Ogie together, and I adore seeing Bobby step into a fatherly role with Amy’s boys. Many men of the time could have pushed their stepchildren aside in favor of having their own, but Bobby is a man of worth and honor. Jamie and Claire are surrounding themselves with good people again.
At the end of the chapter, we get Claire heading out to The White Spring, where Jamie is praying. Claire thinks about the time Jamie prayed to Dougal for help before a battle, but this time, he is more serene. Something stood out in this chapter. Jamie notes that Adso is gone, and I don’t remember this ever being mentioned before after the fire. Is it just assumed at this point because Adso hasn’t been seen for a while?
Jamie then shows Claire the cave where he’s been hiding the gold. There’s a dead Spaniard in the cave, and Claire notes that he possibly broke his leg. That wouldn’t have stopped him getting out of the cave, so what did? It’s one of life’s mysteries. Jamie talks about how he was with Jemmy when they found this cave, and it’s hard to not think about if the two of them were trapped in that cave and injured, nobody else would have known about them. However, it does explain the Spaniard that Jemmy should know about.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There is certainly some foreshadowing in this chapter. Much of that is in the journey to Scotland. Jamie prays because he realizes that he is all that Claire has left (and vice versa). Their children and grandchildren are gone—although I do get a little disappointed that everyone forgets about Fergus, Marsali, and their children. They’ve not gone too far!
I think we get this foreshadowing of what’s to come for Ian Murray. He doesn’t survive the book, and Jenny has to make a decision about what she’s going to do. Then on the ship across, Claire and Ian believe Jamie and Jenny perished, and it does leave Claire in a sticky situation.
Then there’s the foreshadowing of Bobby becoming part of Amy’s family. He is there for all of them, and he does come to love Amy. I feel like this part of the chapter foreshadows that connection, and the heartbreak that comes in Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.
Of course, the thoughts about Arch foreshadow things to come. He’s not just disappeared.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I do think some of this chapter will be used, but I’m not sure how much will be necessary in Outlander Season 7. We will need to seethe Frasers packing and getting ready for Scotland if that storyline follows, but it doesn’t need to take too long.
What will be necessary is the bit with the gold. I’m sure we’ll need to see Jamie show Claire where the Spaniard is. After all, Jemmy knows about it, and this does have a bigger storyline in this book. Right now, the gold hasn’t really come up, but I’m sure it eventually will do.
Other than that, I don’t think we’ll see too many of the conversations or thoughts about the past. They aren’t all that necessary when so much in the book has to be condensed into 12 episodes—yes, Outlander Season 7 will have 16 episodes, but four of them are from what would have been in Season 6.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 8? Let us know in the comments below.
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