My husband's Japanese family does this thing where they hint at problems instead of saying them directly, and I never know if I'm supposed to pick up on something or if I'm overthinking, and when I ask him to translate he gets frustrated and says I should just 'read the situation' better.
More people experience this than they realize.
One partner is caught between two cultural communication styles without a clear framework for navigation.
“Where Are You with East Asian time and face-saving?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.