The eight short stories in Deer Droppings detail the life of the author, who has abandoned city life for country life. The characters in the stories face their hometowns, which they have forgotten in their complex daily lives, traveling beyond space and down memory lane. Stories about the past, filled with sorrow, meet age-old nostalgia, and the characters reflect on the meaning of life. The stories move seamlessly between the present and reminiscence of the past. The author’s use of Jeollanamdo Province dialect plays a significant role in the flow of the stories. The original style and strength of the author’s writing lie in the expressions that differentiate the characters and set the lyrical mood of the stories. The title story, “Deer Droppings,” is a story about Poet Lim, who remembers his deceased wife. Unassuming stories depicting heartfelt love between husband and wife are told by Poet Lim, who lost his wife in an accident and was unable to bury her, and Lim’s friend and artist, Hyun, who understands Lim’s heartache better than anyone else.

Everyone encounters their own challenges in the course of life. In the face of adversity, people often find consolation in nature or through the metaphor of objects. From them, people develop an attitude of overcoming life’s challenges. In “Malt,” the owner of a brewery that makes makgeolli, traditional rice wine, talks about “malt-like life,” which uses the moment of destruction and dejection as a springboard to begin a new life. Through these stories, author Hyeong-nam Jeong soothes the hearts of the readers.