“If anybody who is writing a novel reads this, they will probably give up writing. They'll be like, there's no way I can compete with this.”
From Whatever It Takes (Michael Z. Lewin, written during the pandemic) Kojima highlighted its premise — a pandemic with no virus specified, quarantine, supplies being distributed and police watching; an unnamed old man, his daughter and his grandson slipping into abandoned houses and committing small petty crimes to survive — and above all its writing: almost everything is dialogue, it does not spell out the emotions but they are understood through very fine distinctions, and the family bond becomes almost unbearable. Kojima said that anyone who is writing a novel who reads this will probably stop writing, because they will feel they cannot compete with it.
“this is a standalone book that he wrote during the COVID pandemic. […] the main character doesn't have a name. […] He doesn't write out the emotions, but you can understand them from the dialogue. There are finely detailed distinctions of emotions. […] If anybody who is writing a novel reads this, they will probably give up writing.”