Irony of time
Nao’s past transforms into Ruth’s present because she reads and interprets the story in real-time. In her quest to ‘save’ Nao, Ruth gets lost between the timelines as both blur through her fixation. She is in denial about the fact that the entries were likely written in the past and the events are long gone. Nao wrote the entries a decade prior to Ruth finding them at the shore.
Irony of fate
Ruth’s encounter with Nao’s diary starts a connection that takes her through an emotional journey. To Ruth, the events in the diary are concurrent with her present time despite that being impossible. Therefore she is adamant to change the fate of Nao and her family as she becomes obsessive. Though she tries to converge the timelines the events took place a decade before. Whether Nao’s fate was tragic or happy she finds she has no power to actually change it.
Irony of identity
Emigrants suffer from culture shock and identity crises when settling in foreign lands and cultures. However, the story explores the return to their homeland as they also can experience the same. Nao is a second-generation Japanese-American girl therefore the Japanese culture is slightly foreign to her. However, she suffers much more scrutiny and shock than she expected. Despite her Japanese heritage she struggles to assimilate into the culture while being bullied for being different.
Irony of closure
The narrative juxtaposes the characters’ lives showcasing the tranquil life Ruth is living compared to Nao. Consequently, Ruth feels obligated to offer emotional relief to Nao and her family. However, the diary entries are ten years old therefore she has no power to change their destiny. In the process of probing into Nao’s life, she becomes emotionally unstable and loses grip on her life. Her attempt to help only leads to her own undoing. Moreover, the entries do not offer any closure to Nao’s story and Ruth has to come to terms with that too.
Irony of suicide
Suicide is explored from the perspective of the Japanese culture. Nao is suicidal from the bullying and torture she experiences for being different. Also, her father contemplates suicide frequently due to unemployment and shame. Ironically it is revealed that in their lineage their great uncle was a kamikaze pilot during the Second World War.
