| Abstract | Monetary compensation to victims of historical injustice is a worldwide political and academic theme; however, it is rarely seen in the light of family memory. This article, based on evidence from 90 semi-structured interviews, explores the impact of official policies on individuals and families involved in the reparation procedures set up in the 1990s by the Austrian state for the victims of National Socialism. It focuses on the meaning of the oft-voiced complaint ‘too little, too late’, arguing that there is a difference between what the phrase has commonly been understood to mean (a critical evaluation of the compensation efforts) and what analysis shows it to mean in the frame of ‘family memory’. The article argues that while this narrative of anger at first sight boycotts a dialogue, it also has an important performative and empowering function as well as an integrative function within the ‘post-memory’ generation. Exploring the mutual influence of compensation reception and family memory will help to theorize the role of anger in reconciliation processes.
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