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Espresso Love
In Tokyo, where the System siphons thought, emotions & memories, a literature student meets a strange psychic girl and they embark on an escape from mindless agents, dream worlds and reality itself, in a soul-searching journey for love, for identity and what it means to be human. But all that remains is a peculiar coffee shop order.
The novel examines the human condition, perception, socio-political systems, capitalism and consumer culture, incorporating paranoiac conspiracy theories, surreal cosmic visions, circular symbolism and shifting parallel worlds, with profound discussions of coffee, art, literature and music.
[Dystopia, Magical Realism, Philosophy, Literary]
1 million reads, #1 Sci-Fi, Spiritual; #Wattys2014 Award Winner; Featured on Wattpad, IndieReader, @DIGonUSA
"Struck me to the very core of my being."
"Very interesting concept of reality... Thought provoking.."
“I have been turned to a whole new way of thinking because of you.”
"Like a seven course meal full of spice and illumination... One does not listen to a classical piece to get to its ending. No. It is the ride, the moment by moment...a genuine Masamune among stories."
“It was both personable and philosophical. A rare breed of good story and thought provoking ideas... A virtual standing ovation would not be enough to encapsulate the absolute awe I have of you.”
"It's not a regular thing to find a piece of work that oozes sophistication and embodies literature and art."
“The world Takatsu has created opens to the deeper awareness of another, the draw of another.” - Mary L Tabor, Wattpad author, essayist, professor
"Offers acute, almost painful observations of the minutiae of life, if life took place in a Murakami snow-globe." - IndieReader Insiders
“Vapoury style that seems to hover off world at times...haunting and strange (which is good)...You're on to something different, striking." - B.W. Powe, York University English Professor, award-winning author, poet, philosopher
Before print publication read the original serialization: http://EspressoLove.tk
The novel examines the human condition, perception, socio-political systems, capitalism and consumer culture, incorporating paranoiac conspiracy theories, surreal cosmic visions, circular symbolism and shifting parallel worlds, with profound discussions of coffee, art, literature and music.
[Dystopia, Magical Realism, Philosophy, Literary]
1 million reads, #1 Sci-Fi, Spiritual; #Wattys2014 Award Winner; Featured on Wattpad, IndieReader, @DIGonUSA
"Struck me to the very core of my being."
"Very interesting concept of reality... Thought provoking.."
“I have been turned to a whole new way of thinking because of you.”
"Like a seven course meal full of spice and illumination... One does not listen to a classical piece to get to its ending. No. It is the ride, the moment by moment...a genuine Masamune among stories."
“It was both personable and philosophical. A rare breed of good story and thought provoking ideas... A virtual standing ovation would not be enough to encapsulate the absolute awe I have of you.”
"It's not a regular thing to find a piece of work that oozes sophistication and embodies literature and art."
“The world Takatsu has created opens to the deeper awareness of another, the draw of another.” - Mary L Tabor, Wattpad author, essayist, professor
"Offers acute, almost painful observations of the minutiae of life, if life took place in a Murakami snow-globe." - IndieReader Insiders
“Vapoury style that seems to hover off world at times...haunting and strange (which is good)...You're on to something different, striking." - B.W. Powe, York University English Professor, award-winning author, poet, philosopher
Before print publication read the original serialization: http://EspressoLove.tk
- GenresScience FictionFiction
621 pages, ebook
First published January 19, 2014
10 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Takatsu
18 books109 followersTakatsu is a poet, novelist, publisher, designer, event and community coordinator and featured Wattpad Star of 20,000 followers from Toronto. In 2008, through
Secondhand Memories
, he pioneered English “cell phone novels”. In 2014, his acclaimed literary novel,
Espresso Love
won a Watty’s Award and reached 1 million reads. Inspiritus Press released his literary and art collection,
Of Forests & Clocks & Dreams
, in 2016, and he received the Babs Burggraf Award for short story "The Elephant Girl". In 2017, he edited Apparatus, a poetry and prose anthology by 15 contributors. His debut poetry chapbook
Kawatare
was published by Anstruther Press in August 2017. Forthcoming is a poem in PRISM International. He continues to coordinate community and innovation through Inspiritus Press, Crossroads Literary Festival, Bring the Noise Street Poetry Tour, the Wattpad Literary Fiction Network, the Cell Phone Novel movement and social marketing initiatives.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 6, 2014
This story came to me around a few corners... I was actually researching Japanese phone novels when I found English sites and authors that were essentially doing the same thing. Of those authors, Takatsu stuck out to me and I began reading his most recent work.
I was hooked from the beginning. The first thing that gripped me was the prose, I think, crystal clear and precise without any flourishes. It reads sober and reflects the voice of the protagonist: thoughts and ideas rather than emotions. The second thing that fascinated me was how it was set in Japan at first, then spiraled into a surreal realm, yet retained a sense of detail and appreciation of the little things. His prose may be sober, but he describes places, people and objects with such detail and vivid metaphors that I simply couldn't get enough of his words. In my opinion, the eye for detail and original metaphors is what makes his style truly delicious.
Then there is the story. I could say so many things about the characters (their vivid personalities), the themes, the gently meandering story (spiraling around a central theme in smaller and smaller circles?) and the symbolism. There's more than enough in it, so much that it'll take more than one read to comprehend all of it. I'll simply say that I loved every bit of the story except for the captivity and mental torture part towards the end because I dislike such settings.
That said, it is pretty obvious who Takatsu draws his inspiration from: Haruki Murakami. Several parts of the book reminded me strongly of 1Q84. While it can be a good thing to learn from Murakami by studying his style (I'm guilty of it myself!), I think Espresso Love is too much like 1Q84 in its themes and the flow of the story.
It is the only weak point I could find with the novel. I sincerely enjoyed it and will certainly come back to reread it at some point. It has personal significance too since it helped me to get motivated again and pursue my own writing more seriously. The novel and the author have given me much to think about.
I can only recommend it to anyone who likes Haruki Murakami, magical realism, philosophy or conspiracy theories.
I was hooked from the beginning. The first thing that gripped me was the prose, I think, crystal clear and precise without any flourishes. It reads sober and reflects the voice of the protagonist: thoughts and ideas rather than emotions. The second thing that fascinated me was how it was set in Japan at first, then spiraled into a surreal realm, yet retained a sense of detail and appreciation of the little things. His prose may be sober, but he describes places, people and objects with such detail and vivid metaphors that I simply couldn't get enough of his words. In my opinion, the eye for detail and original metaphors is what makes his style truly delicious.
Then there is the story. I could say so many things about the characters (their vivid personalities), the themes, the gently meandering story (spiraling around a central theme in smaller and smaller circles?) and the symbolism. There's more than enough in it, so much that it'll take more than one read to comprehend all of it. I'll simply say that I loved every bit of the story except for the captivity and mental torture part towards the end because I dislike such settings.
That said, it is pretty obvious who Takatsu draws his inspiration from: Haruki Murakami. Several parts of the book reminded me strongly of 1Q84. While it can be a good thing to learn from Murakami by studying his style (I'm guilty of it myself!), I think Espresso Love is too much like 1Q84 in its themes and the flow of the story.
It is the only weak point I could find with the novel. I sincerely enjoyed it and will certainly come back to reread it at some point. It has personal significance too since it helped me to get motivated again and pursue my own writing more seriously. The novel and the author have given me much to think about.
I can only recommend it to anyone who likes Haruki Murakami, magical realism, philosophy or conspiracy theories.
March 8, 2022
This beautiful, heartwarming tale about self discovery, identity and love in a place of oppression all began in a bustling coffee shop with the unforgettable order: tall caramel chai tea latte,soy, 120 degrees, extra whip
A cup of coffee later and their fate is sealed, their bond forged. Music, literature, book stores, scenery, friends , Philosophy, thoughts and opinions center the book and when combined with the precise and profound language used by Takatsu you are pulled into a mesmerizingly deep story that will make you pause to think mainly because of Shizuka's abrupt thoughts which are uniquely different from those around her.
Oh, they were not brewing a cup of coffee. They were brewing a cup of love...
July 11, 2019
very alluring and philosophical,
like murakami,
like a silent unmoving puddle of water
that reveals the full reflection of the human looking into it.
it was a relaxing read,
one that does not grab you
with paper claws and drag you
through viscous suspense
and whirlwind romance.
somewhat like watching a beautiful sunset.
i thought there would be a
very specific underlying message
behind the story—
may there is—but i can't tell.
there are so many ideas and materials
behind its construction that one can only
create the message using
one's own thoughts and perception.
i like the idea of a collective,
a cause, a system, a coffee order that
holds personality.
like murakami,
like a silent unmoving puddle of water
that reveals the full reflection of the human looking into it.
it was a relaxing read,
one that does not grab you
with paper claws and drag you
through viscous suspense
and whirlwind romance.
somewhat like watching a beautiful sunset.
i thought there would be a
very specific underlying message
behind the story—
may there is—but i can't tell.
there are so many ideas and materials
behind its construction that one can only
create the message using
one's own thoughts and perception.
i like the idea of a collective,
a cause, a system, a coffee order that
holds personality.
November 10, 2014
Magical and unreal, yet so relevant and true.
That is the scope of Espresso Love.
Breathtaking in measure, Takatsu weaves themes
of systematization with love and self discovery
into such delicate balance with literature
that everything on a page cannot be digested
without swooning over the beautiful diction
and prose, in which the reader is presented with.
Breathing in the events, the happiness,
the pain, the nostalgia and realizing
something of the metaphysical; that is
the true potential of this novel.
Kudos.
That is the scope of Espresso Love.
Breathtaking in measure, Takatsu weaves themes
of systematization with love and self discovery
into such delicate balance with literature
that everything on a page cannot be digested
without swooning over the beautiful diction
and prose, in which the reader is presented with.
Breathing in the events, the happiness,
the pain, the nostalgia and realizing
something of the metaphysical; that is
the true potential of this novel.
Kudos.
January 8, 2015
There's a difference between inspiration and carbon copies.
Whilst maintaining solid writing and a strong direction, the Murakami influence was far too strong to be taken seriously. Not to mention how the dystopian concept of the novel was heavily derived from 1984, but in a way that seemed to come off as a parody rather than a homage to the great ideas of George Orwell.
If possible, I would like to give the story a better rating for the writing structure. But objectively speaking, there was too little originality for the clear writing to make up for.
Whilst maintaining solid writing and a strong direction, the Murakami influence was far too strong to be taken seriously. Not to mention how the dystopian concept of the novel was heavily derived from 1984, but in a way that seemed to come off as a parody rather than a homage to the great ideas of George Orwell.
If possible, I would like to give the story a better rating for the writing structure. But objectively speaking, there was too little originality for the clear writing to make up for.
May 25, 2015
Mind-blowing, definitely a must read.
January 4, 2026
This book has a special place in my heart. I picked it up many times and attempted to read it. My biggest struggle to finishing it was that I have a hard time reading on my phone for long periods of time. I sat down this time determined to get through it and little by little I did. It was worth it. It only took me nine months. 😂
There is something about how the characters speak so eloquently and poetically that hits every time I pick up this book. There is so much wisdom packed into the paragraphs. And I know from the author’s not that Takatsu did hours upon hours of research, but it’s clear even just from reading. So much hard work was poured into the novel. He really put his heart and soul into every chapter.
I highly recommend this book. I was only able to find it on Wattpad. I would have loved to have a physical copy to read again and again until it’s in tatters and annotate to send to my little two-woman book club. But to even have had the privilege to read it once is something I am grateful for.
There is something about how the characters speak so eloquently and poetically that hits every time I pick up this book. There is so much wisdom packed into the paragraphs. And I know from the author’s not that Takatsu did hours upon hours of research, but it’s clear even just from reading. So much hard work was poured into the novel. He really put his heart and soul into every chapter.
I highly recommend this book. I was only able to find it on Wattpad. I would have loved to have a physical copy to read again and again until it’s in tatters and annotate to send to my little two-woman book club. But to even have had the privilege to read it once is something I am grateful for.
March 28, 2016
Honestly... Amazing beyond words!
This story is truly one of those treasures you discover on Wattpad. I think It rocked up as a recommendation when I was looking for something new to read when I just got hooked onto Wattpad towards the end of last year. Take note, it's quite a long read in comparison to most Wattpad stories, but it's totally worth it.
How do I even begin to describe the plot?! Here goes:
The story is told from the perspective of Naoki Maeda- the setting is Tokyo, Japan- where System is Everything. Maeda is special in the sense that he's an intellectual, he thinks about things, interprets them and dissects their meaning- along comes Shizuka- another special being- she's an espre. She opens Maeda's eyes to whats going on around him. This results in an organization known as the Collective , chasing after them. I really am hesitant to give out more of the pot without giving away any spoilers.
But this story really is something else- there's quite a bit of philosophy in Espresso Love, but I personally felt that it's what made the book the brilliant work of art it is.
All I am saying is that if you have Wattpad, this is one story you have to read- it's pure brilliance.
This story is truly one of those treasures you discover on Wattpad. I think It rocked up as a recommendation when I was looking for something new to read when I just got hooked onto Wattpad towards the end of last year. Take note, it's quite a long read in comparison to most Wattpad stories, but it's totally worth it.
How do I even begin to describe the plot?! Here goes:
The story is told from the perspective of Naoki Maeda- the setting is Tokyo, Japan- where System is Everything. Maeda is special in the sense that he's an intellectual, he thinks about things, interprets them and dissects their meaning- along comes Shizuka- another special being- she's an espre. She opens Maeda's eyes to whats going on around him. This results in an organization known as the Collective , chasing after them. I really am hesitant to give out more of the pot without giving away any spoilers.
But this story really is something else- there's quite a bit of philosophy in Espresso Love, but I personally felt that it's what made the book the brilliant work of art it is.
All I am saying is that if you have Wattpad, this is one story you have to read- it's pure brilliance.
April 9, 2014
Creative use of a new medium of literature.
August 26, 2015
Deep, thought-provoking piece of art that I couldn't put down till the end!
April 28, 2017
one of the most amazing and confusing books i've read.it goes really deep into the human mind and conscientiuosness . felt like talking to my self,going through some important thoughts and concepts that got burried in my mind under loads of the every-day life events. so the main idea that routine could suck the life out of you is true to a great extent
i really recommend reading it.
i really recommend reading it.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews