'When I forget, I'm well. Remembering, even now, I just go crazy'

Does the equation that infuses the work of truth commissions - that more memory equals more reconciliation - always meet the needs of people affected by widespread violence? Klaus Neumann reviews two new books about communities recovering from conflict: 'Forest of struggle: moralities of remembrance in upland Cambodia', by Eve Monique Zucker, published by University of Hawai`i Press, Honolulu, 2013 and 'Intimate enemies: violence and reconciliation in Peru', by Kimberly Theidon, published by University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 2012.