This is a review of book three in the Outlander series. This review may therefore contain some spoilers for earlier novels in the series.
In this third book in the Outlander series, readers are thrown back into the world of Jamie and Claire, separated by hundreds of years, but holding on to the love they have for each other. As the novel develops the focus shifts into a high seas adventure, with pirates, shipwreck, and some supernatural goings on to keep the reader hooked. We meet new characters, catch up with old ones, and watch as Jamie and Claire come to know each other again.
We learnt at the end of book two that Jamie Fraser hadn’t died at Culloden as planned, and Voyager take us to the battlefield to find out exactly what happened. The narrative is then split between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, Jamie’s escape from slaughter and imprisonment, and Claire’s attempt to find out what happened to him, Brianna coming to terms with the idea of a father lost to her in the past. Covering twenty years in half a book, even in one of this length, means we get the highlights (or, indeed, lowlights, as they often seem to be) but Gabaldon weaves the tale carefully, giving us enough to understand the shifts in character, the choices they were forced to make, their trials and successes. Jamie has by no means had an easy life, for one, he was determined to die at Culloden, and the thought that his beloved wife has travelled away, alive but unreachable, is unbearable. As seems his natural role in life, he frequently becomes a leader in any group he finds himself in. Men look to him for guidance, and his skills, enhanced by some modern knowledge passed on by Claire, helps them through months of malnutrition and suffering. His role as leader also brings him closer to Lord John Grey, with whom he builds a friendship, bonding over the game of chess. This friendship will prove useful many times throughout the course of the novel, and likely beyond. After years of strife and hard work, he settles in Edinburgh as a printer, with a side hustle in printing pamphlets that would get him arrested, and in smuggling, he is never one for a simple life.
We see Claire both with her grown-up daughter and in flashbacks of her life with Frank after returning through the stones. Their marriage was never a happy one after their period of separation, Frank was not faithful, but would not leave her and Brianna, who he loved dearly. He struggled to understand her desire to train as a doctor, but when it came to it, would support her in her ambitions. We see Claire struggle with motherhood and with her grief over losing Jamie, loving him desperately while married to another, who just so happens to disturbingly resemble a cruel ancestor they had far too many altercations with in the past. The interacting lives and loves between Jamie, Claire, and Frank is one of the most interesting aspects of the series so far, and this book really allows us to delve deep into the mechanics of it. Ultimately, the tale of Claire and Frank is a tragic one, sacrificed at the altar of her love for Jamie. Bringing her back to the modern day, when they have finally pinpointed Jamie and discovered that he might still be alive if Claire travelled back, she has a heartbreaking decision to make - remain separated from her soulmate, or leave her daughter, most likely permanently.
The fact there are six more books in the series after this one would suggest the answer is she chooses Jamie, but this is not without its complications. For all she knows, he could be happily married with a new family, she might not travel back to the right time, or she might not be able to find him. The risk is not insignificant, and having been apart for two decades they have a lot of catching up to do. We do drop right into the action but Gabaldon returns time and again to the fact they need to get to know each other again, to fall in love with the people they have become. Their love is as all consuming as it’s ever been, and Jamie is soon reminded what it’s like to have a wife who constantly seems to find herself in difficult situations, but they don’t fall back to where they were when she left. They have to come to terms with what they’ve done in the interim.
The second half of the novel focuses more on their travels by sea in an attempt to rescue their nephew Ian. Jamie continues to suffer from extreme seasickness and you feel as the reader the claustrophobia of life at sea, willing the journey to go faster so that he can be back on solid ground. This becomes quite a complex part of the novel, with many changes of location, other ships, and new characters introduced. Claire and Jamie are temporarily separated again, and when they come back together they discover an old adversary who seems to have nefarious plans for their family. We are also confronted with the reality of the slave trade, in full swing at this point in history. Claire is naturally horrified but soon realises that her actions, albeit with good intentions, only make those enslaved suffer more.
An enjoyable read, but with such a huge expanse that the first half almost feels like a completely separate book. There are some uncomfortable racial stereotypes included, and an odd obsession with the expanded weight of one returning character, which is unnecessary, but overall it feels like Gabaldon is growing in her confidence and skills. The action comes quick and fast and as soon as the characters extricate themselves from one sticky situation they seem to find themselves in another. There is further discussion of the mechanics of time travel in the Outlander universe, and a fun theory on how it has helped with the legend of the Loch Ness monster. An engaging read full of emotion, peril, and some swashbuckling adventure.
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