What is the author's style in Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas?

The novel uses simple language and fairly basic grammar, and is easily accessible to a wide audience. The language used contains a large amount of slang and is heavily tied to a specific period of time and a specific geographical culture. For example, various West Coast mid-1990s rock bands are listed by name with the implication being that a savvy reader can infer personality by looking through a character's music collection - an event that, in fact, happens in the novel when Jackie flips through Steve's tape collection with a running commentary.