The Irony of Kim’s Shoe
The discovery of the shoe hints at the possibility that her body could be in a nearby reservoir. The shoe's status leads them to search her body in water. Harper writes, "Kim Gillespie's white sneaker, waterlogged and streaked with sediment, was recovered more than a kilometer to the east, jammed in the dam's filters." The discovery prompts the commissioning of divers to establish if the body is in the reservoir. However, the search is futile because they do not get the body. The sneaker does not offer useful hints, despite appearing promising when it is recovered after two days of searching.
The Irony of Bystanders’ Testimony
Falk considered the testimony offered by bystanders to be the least useful of all the witness statements he had encountered. Harper explains, "Among the least helpful…were the well-meaning bystanders who reckoned they'd seen plenty." Although the bystanders have good intentions, their testimonies are mostly not credible. Bystanders are prone to exaggerate in the course of giving their statements. Falk attributes the weakness of bystander statements to human nature which prompts them to seal gaps in their testimonies imaginatively.
The Irony of an Appeal
On the anniversary of Kim’s disappearance, her friends and family plan an appeal. Raco informs Falk that on the opening night of the festival, there will be "an appeal on the main stage." Falk finds the idea of the appeal to be ironic because all indications show that Kim is never returning. The ironic appeal demonstrates that the community is optimistic about finding details about Kim's disappearance. The community is grieving and still in denial about losing Kim.
