What is the author's style in Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan?

Most of the dialogue in the novel occurs between the four main characters, and as such, reflects the casual style and idioms of black women in the 1990's. For example, many sentences are begun with, "Girl, I tell you..." The author also sprinkles the novel liberally with obscene and sexually suggestive language. At times this usage seems overdone for dramatic effect and is unbelievable in its overuse. Probably the most obvious language technique is the continuing thread of allusions to breathing such as breaths, inhale, gasp, etc. to support the book's title.