This work investigates whether international legal tribunals can effectively address the trauma of genocide survivors in post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia. Alexander Laban Hinton, an anthropologist specializing in genocide studies, utilizes extensive ethnographic fieldwork and observations from the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. He argues that the formal, western-centric legal framework often fails to account for the cultural and spiritual needs of victims, suggesting that traditional rituals and direct dialogue are necessary components for genuine reconciliation.

Scholars in the fields of anthropology and transitional justice recognize this text as a critical critique of the limitations inherent in international criminal law. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the author's nuanced approach to balancing legal theory with the lived experiences of survivors.