Hooked, and Then Some: What Asako Yuzuki's Novel Taught Me About the Women Around Me
The idea of female friendship has been romanticised since time immemorial. We are told it is the most sacred of bonds, and in the same breath, we are told to be wary of the woman sitting across from us. Society hands us both the crown and the knife, and somehow expects us to figure out what to do with either. There is a particular cruelty in that contradiction: to be told that your most meaningful relationships will come from other women, while also being quietly taught to measure yourself against them. Most of us start small with a borrowed jacket never returned, an inside joke that still lands years later, the unspoken agreement to show up for each other without ever having to ask. These quiet rituals form the blueprint of female companionship that girls carry from school corridors into university hallways. I was one of those girls, and if you are reading this, I suspect you are too. Hooked by Asako Yuzuki finds itself in the compelling territory of emotional obs...