Audrey Decker's death (Dramatic Irony)
Theo begins his narration by revealing that his mother will die tragically, and chooses to recount the story of her death from the beginning. Though Audrey and young Theo do not know that she is about to die in the bombing, the audience, and Theo at 22, do know, creating dramatic irony.
Boris's theft of the painting (Situational Irony)
After several years of constantly worrying about the painting, Theo learns that he hasn't had the painting for years, an example of situational irony.
"Sick and sweating, my stomach killing me" (Verbal Irony)
After a drunken night, Theo is very hungover and feels unwell. He describes his stomach pain as "killing" him (331), an example of verbal irony as his stomach is not literally killing him.
"Is nothing...he broke one of my ribs once" (Verbal Irony)
When Boris discusses his father's abuse, he refers to his swollen and bruised face as "nothing," even though it is not actually nothing. This is an example of understatement, a form of verbal irony.
