How do you prefer to sneak in backstory? Do you write explicit flashbacks? Do you have characters think about history or talk about the past?
Read Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake for a relative masterclass in weaving in backstory. In this multi-generational saga, Lahiri effectively strings together many pieces of backstory to build characters that the read cares about deeply.
Not only does Lahiri’s backstories give us details and texture of the characters, but these subplots drive the story forward. They help us understand what the characters want right now as we following them through their current lives.