# Identify this short story

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-short-story/339064>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 8, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-short-story/339064 "2006-01-08T23:22:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-short-story/339064/1 "2006-01-08T23:22:48Z")

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When I was younger, I owned a book of short stories. One of the stories I remember was about a guy whose electric razor tells him that the wife is trying to kill him. The wife talks to her hairbrush and I remember something about the guy being suspicious of the taste of the eggs he ate for breakfast.

I have no idea of the story’s title or author and if someone could help me out I will be very appreciative. Hopefully, those are enough details to help.

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-short-story/339064/2 "2006-01-08T23:49:47Z")

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I remember the story; it appeared in one of Judith Merrill’s “Year’s Best SF” collections of the 60s.

I just found it: The story is “The Plot” by Tom Herzog, from the 11th edition of the Merrill anthologies.

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-short-story/339064/3 "2006-01-08T23:55:53Z")

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[Here’s the book cover.](http://tinyurl.com/dohsy)

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**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-short-story/339064/4 "2006-01-09T00:18:10Z")

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That isn’t the book I had but the title and author sound correct. Thanks.