Situational irony - Owen’s identity
Following the clues to Austin, Texas, Bailey and Hannah discover that Owen is not the man they thought he was. Hannah’s ex even reveals to her that Owen is a false name, and that he probably created entire false identities for himself and Bailey. This revelation is unexpected and represents situational irony.
Situational irony – Bailey’s real mother
Researching Owen to discover his identity, Bailey and Hannah stumble upon a photo with a woman called Katherine, who looks exactly like Bailey. Following the lead of the photo into a local bar, this assumption is confirmed by Katherine’s brother Charles. Not only that, but Katherine was the daughter of Nicholas Bell – the infamous lawyer who ended up in prison for criminal activities. These are all unexpected plot twists to the story and represent situational irony.
Good and evil
“This is the thing about good and evil. They aren’t so far apart – and they often start from the same valiant place of wanting something to be different.”
Upon learning more about Nicholas Bell, Hannah realizes that he is convinced in the righteousness of his person, and the good deeds he’s done outweighing the bad. Another thing she realizes is that he is a good parent and a grandfather willing to do anything to reunite with his lost granddaughter. This makes her consider that good and evil are concepts not so distant from each other at their root cause.
“He lied to me”
After everything they have discovered and everything that is being told about Owen, when questioned about the worst thing he has done, Bailey answers that the worst thing is he lied to her. It is a moment in which Bailey’s childlike innocence comes forward, and the irony of a parent seen through a child’s eyes.
