Writing doesn’t have to be timeless! Almost all books, even successful ones, are forgotten quickly. Writing isn’t a competition to see who can write the most immortal book.
I personally don’t care for books that conspicuously take place in the present day and feature fairly regular people. I’m reading to have some time away from screens—I don’t want to read about people staring at screens! But I know lots of people who find books like these more relatable and interesting.
"timelessness" is overrated. War and Peace has a particular time, Slaughterhouse 5, pretty much anything that's on a great books list is there because its the product of a particular time and place.
I personally don’t care for books that conspicuously take place in the present day and feature fairly regular people. I’m reading to have some time away from screens—I don’t want to read about people staring at screens! But I know lots of people who find books like these more relatable and interesting.