Hatch is a novel which examines the struggles of urbanization, drug additiction, alienation from community, and shame which threaten a rural Oklahoma family. The Metzers live on a farm in Hatch, a town formed in the 1890s from the enthusiasm and idealism of Land Run pioneers and German immigrants. The story juxtaposes traditional rural life with contemporary issues such as adultery, addiction, and race and illustrates how characters resist their insulated environment.