Aemi wrote: And thus the interesting thread died. 
Alison to the rescue!  Hopefully...
So I actually really like this device; when used well, it can add a lot of mystery and depth to a story and make a backstory a lot more interesting. But just like any other plot device that forces the reader to guess, if the answers are obvious even though they're not supposed to be, it can be really annoying! I'm trying to use this device in my current novel, actually. There isn't that much tension about what will happen, so I'm trying to add some tension about what did happen to make things a bit more interesting.
When I decided to use this technique, I tried to consider all the different ways a significant memory can impact you, and then tried to hint at the memory using those effects. Let's use as an example my MC Tasavai's encounter with what was basically an evil pagan religious ceremony. I'd rather not describe the ceremony because 1) the only sufficiently evil ceremony I can think of is really, truly horrible 2) thus I don't want to think about it that much 3) and thus I don't want to force my readers to think about it too much. It left a strong mark on him, however, and so I still wanted to hint at it and suggest at it, even if I wouldn't describe it outright. So, first of all I thought about his experience's immediate, direct impact. After seeing the ceremony, Tasavai realized that there were things too dark and evil for him to study and understand; things that he didn't want to know, and that shook up his worldview and made him reconsider his strategy as a scholar and researcher. So I can talk about (or have other characters talk about) how he's changed as a thinker and a scholar, hinting at some turning point that initiated the change. There was also a direct impact on his relationships with his friends; another thing that I can show.
But memories can also leave more subconscious marks. The ceremony took place in a network of small tunnels, and now small, twisty tunnels make Tasavai nervous, if not afraid - his experience didn't produce a full-on phobia; it just tainted his perception of tunnels. Also, Tasavai saw the ceremony while he was with two or three friends (not sure how many yet!). Now his memory of those friends is going to be tainted by that experience they had together; they'll think of each other differently and treat each other differently. And now when Tasavai thinks about pagan religious ceremonies, when he thinks about the island where it occurred, when he thinks about that date, when he sees a landscape that looks similar, all of these things, he'll think of that experience. He won't necessarily have an obsessive fear of religious ceremonies, or islands, or that date, or that kind of landscape...but like I said, they'll be tainted by his memory. (That's been my own experience with memories, at any rate.) You could do phobias, of course, but sometimes I think it's better to have something more subtle. So anyways, I can make him react with fear or nervousness or whatever it is for him when he comes across those tainted things...and I can flavor his interactions with the characters who shared the experience with him. Actually, the whole novel is composed of letters to a woman who was involved, and so this makes it extra-easy!
There's another aspect of memory, too - it becomes a store of illustrations, examples and references to bring up in a discussion. This becomes handy for a mysterious backstory when you have some characters around who know about the backstory. Then someone can say things such as, "I didn't understand it, it was like what we saw in the tunnels..." and the other characters can know what s/he means without requiring further explanation. Anyways, those are some aspects of memories that I thought of. Perhaps you could think about the effect of memories more as you figure out how to leave clues to a backstory.
As I said, I've found it useful to have other characters around who know the backstory. I've also found it handy for the novel to be in first-person, with the narrator being the one who has the mysterious backstory. Then s/he can hide things...but s/he can also accidentally let things slip. Always fun. And also, in the past I've fretted and fretted over how on earth I'll hint at a backstory before I start a novel...but then once I get writing the opportunities for hints just keep popping up. With my current novel, I worked out beforehand what were the main effects of his experience in the tunnels, but then I just started writing and hoped I'd find ways to throw in hints using those effects. And sure enough, I'm finding plenty of opportunities. Hopefully I'm using them well!
Anyways, I'd love to hear about anyone else's experiences using or reading this plot device, or any other advice.
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