In search of Ida: Two generations, one irresistible story

'This is Ida. Do you recognize the woman in this painting? Then we would like to hear from you.' On television, Cato sees the image of a young woman in front of a window where sunlight streams through. The son of world-famous painter Alexander Halow tells a talk show that he is looking for the model that his father painted decades ago. And yes, Cato and her family know that image, because they have a photo of their mémé Ida that looks exactly like the painting. At a meeting in the Brussels museum, where the recently deceased Halow will soon have a retrospective exhibition, Cato meets the interesting director Toon as well as the handsome Rik, who claims his own link with the painting. The search for Ida turns Cato's life upside down and not only because her family might get their hands on a masterpiece. May 15, 1940. German troops have invaded Belgium and while the bombs are falling on Ostend, fisherman's daughter Ida Laga flees with her family across the Channel. After a stopover in London, the Lagas end up in Wales. When Ida sits crying on a park bench after a heavy bombing of the city of Cardiff, a courteous young man with a walking stick gives her a handkerchief to dry her tears. If curiosity were an Olympic sport, Nathalie Le Blanc would win medals in it. That comes in handy for her job as a journalist at Knack Weekend, where she gets to ask her favorite question – why? – every day. As a journalist, she has to stick strictly to the facts, but as an author, she can give free rein to her imagination. A chat with a stranger on the street, a fragment of a documentary, the stories of the people around her or a memory, everything feeds her stories. To quote American police series freely: anything you say, can and will be used in her novels.