What is the author's style in Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech?

The story is filled with symbolism and a great deal of it is related to families and relationships. When Sal and her grandparents are in Pipestone, Minnesota, they watch a Native American smoking a long pipe. Gramps asks for a turn, and Gram takes a turn as well. When she hands it to Sal, Sal takes a puff as she’d seen her grandparents do. She holds the smoke for a long while. When she opens her mouth, a small stream of smoke drifts away. Sal says she can’t really explain why, but that smoke drifting away reminds her of her mother. It seems this is symbolic for Sal coming to terms with her mother’s absence.