Get a Life, Chloe Brown

Chloe Brown is the co-protagonist of the text, who makes a list of items that she believes will radically change her life after a brush with death. Chloe has fibromyalgia and chronic pain, conditions which leave her often in debilitating pain, but nonetheless, Chloe is determined to create a life she can look back on and feel happy with. A freelance website designer, Chloe offers to create Red Morgan’s art website in exchange for him helping her complete some items on her Get a Life list, which ultimately leads to the development of their romantic relationship.

The biggest obstacle Chloe needs to overcome is self-love and revising her view of herself as being a burden to those around her. Because of past experiences which left her with abandonment issues, Chloe resists love because she views it as flimsy and fallible. Chloe explains to Red early on in their relationship about the effects that her chronic illness has had on her relationships: “I’ve learned how to manage my symptoms, now, of course [...] I feel like a part of me hasn’t caught up with that. Like I’m still afraid of myself. That is what the list is for. To get my bravery back” (158).