What is the author's style in The Canal by Richard Yates?

Juxtaposed contrasting characters serve to underscore each other's distinctive traits. In “The Canal,” Tom Brace and Lew Miller are presented as opposites in style and experience: Brace is an extrovert, who enjoys telling complimentary stories about himself; Miller is reserved, perhaps even introverted, and, according to his wife at least, he tends to allow others to eclipse him. Brace is tall, athletic, and talkative, while Miller is less physically capable and tends to be a listener.