'There are moments of destiny and moments of choosing and we rarely know the difference.' Shirley Patton, The Secrets We Keep (HQ HarperCollins, 2018)Have you ever wondered what your life would look like if you had made different choices? If you hadn't decided to apply for that part-time job when you were still in school? Would you have met the love of your life? Or was that pre-destined?This is something Aimee McCartney must consider when she blows in to Kalgoorlie on a dust storm, running away from her past, intent on making a new life for herself. But as Aimee's connection to the community becomes stronger, her past unexpectedly reaches out to her. If she had stayed in the city, she would never have learned the truth behind her dark secret. But now that she knows, what should she do? Can she confront her past without compromising the lives of the people she has come to care for?Shirley's debut novel is a heartwarming story of love, loss and hope set against a backdrop of political and social unrest characterising the 1980s, capturing the essence of a remote Australian mining town in all its dusty, red glory.A wonderful read.