The Hundredth Door

The title 'The Hundredth Door' refers to the concept that we come into life through one door but may leave through any of a hundred, of which we have no foreknowledge and over which we have no control. A central theme of the book, as in the previous two, is the dual nature of nationalism. This can be a positive, binding force for people, as we see in the delight and pride the travelling players evoke in their audiences when they remind them of their national culture - reenacting and adapting stories from Hans Christian Andersen for Danish gatherings - but also a power for implacable hate that leads to the death of innocent lives.