“We” are not wondering whether AI can write “a beautifully written novel.” Yes, some people are.
Other people know a novel cannot be written by a machine— because a novel is human by definition, and AI is not human, by definition.
It’s like wondering if a machine can express heartfelt condolences. Certainly a machine can string words together that humans associate with other humans who express heartfelt condolences, but when AI does this they are NOT condolences. Plagiarized emotional phrases do not indicate the presence of feeling, just the presence of bullshit.