Fifty-two twisted tales, each one named after a suburb in the Perth metropolitan area - this collection pierces the heart of our outdated Australian dream, finding it hollower than it's ever been, while providing hope for the nation in the turbulent century to come. Surrounded by this much sand and sea, in a city where stifling 40-degree days are considered the norm. And with an economy, infrastructure and political system which rests largely on the whims of eastern states' bureaucrats stationed 3,000 kilometres away - many of whom have never bothered to make the four-hour flight. All this can send a population literally to the edge. It can bring out the worst in people and, occasionally, the very best. This collection of short stories from Perth, Western Australia, features a motley bunch of characters including bikies, FIFOs, murderers, adulterers, bigots, terrorists, lawyers, screw-ups, pro-surfers, a guy who defecates visions of Jesus, and some who make it in this Big Country Town, along with many more who fall between its cracks. In the State of Excitement is a short story collection showing a side of Perth that even those who've lived here all their lives have never experienced, despite this madness lying right on their doorstep.