diff --git a/src/lib.zig b/src/lib.zig
index 47f484a..9e7dfd9 100644
--- a/src/lib.zig
+++ b/src/lib.zig
@@ -210,6 +210,28 @@ pub fn serialize(comptime T: type, data: T, l: *ArrayList(u8)) !void {
     }
 }
 
+pub fn deserialize_slice(comptime T: type, serialized: []const u8, out: []T) !void {
+    if (try isFixedSizeObject(T)) {
+        var i: usize = 0;
+        const pitch = @sizeOf(T);
+        while (i < out.len) : (i += pitch) {
+            try deserialize(T, serialized[i * pitch .. (i + 1) * pitch], &out[i]);
+        }
+    } else {
+        const size = std.mem.readInt(u32, serialized[0..4], std.builtin.Endian.little) / @sizeOf(u32);
+        const indices = std.mem.bytesAsSlice(u32, serialized[0 .. size * 4]);
+        var i = @as(usize, 0);
+        while (i < size) : (i += 1) {
+            const end = if (i < size - 1) indices[i + 1] else serialized.len;
+            const start = indices[i];
+            if (start >= serialized.len or end > serialized.len) {
+                return error.IndexOutOfBounds;
+            }
+            try deserialize(T, serialized[start..end], &out[i]);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Takes a byte array containing the serialized payload of type `T` (with
 /// possible trailing data) and deserializes it into the `T` object pointed
 /// at by `out`.
@@ -278,25 +300,7 @@ pub fn deserialize(comptime T: type, serialized: []const u8, out: *T) !void {
                 // the responsibility of the caller.
                 out.* = serialized[0..];
             } else {
-                if (try isFixedSizeObject(ptr.child)) {
-                    comptime var i = 0;
-                    const pitch = @sizeOf(ptr.child);
-                    inline while (i < out.len) : (i += pitch) {
-                        try deserialize(ptr.child, serialized[i * pitch .. (i + 1) * pitch], &out[i]);
-                    }
-                } else {
-                    const size = std.mem.readInt(u32, serialized[0..4], std.builtin.Endian.little) / @sizeOf(u32);
-                    const indices = std.mem.bytesAsSlice(u32, serialized[0 .. size * 4]);
-                    var i = @as(usize, 0);
-                    while (i < size) : (i += 1) {
-                        const end = if (i < size - 1) indices[i + 1] else serialized.len;
-                        const start = indices[i];
-                        if (start >= serialized.len or end > serialized.len) {
-                            return error.IndexOutOfBounds;
-                        }
-                        try deserialize(ptr.child, serialized[start..end], &out[i]);
-                    }
-                }
+                try deserialize_slice(ptr.child, serialized, out.*);
             },
             .One => return deserialize(ptr.child, serialized, out.*),
             else => return error.UnSupportedPointerType,
@@ -342,10 +346,15 @@ pub fn deserialize(comptime T: type, serialized: []const u8, out: *T) !void {
             inline for (info.Struct.fields) |field| {
                 // comptime fields are currently not supported, and it's not even
                 // certain that they can ever be without a change in the language.
-                if (field.is_comptime) @panic("structure contains comptime field");
 
-                switch (@typeInfo(field.type)) {
+                const tinfo = @typeInfo(field.type);
+                switch (tinfo) {
                     .Bool, .Int => {}, // covered by the previous pass
+                    .Pointer => |ptr| switch (ptr.size) {
+                        .One => try deserialize(ptr.child, serialized, @field(out, field.name)),
+                        .Slice => try deserialize_slice(ptr.child, serialized, @field(out.*, field.name)),
+                        else => return error.UnsupportedPointerType,
+                    },
                     else => {
                         const end = if (last_index == indices.len - 1) serialized.len else indices[last_index + 1];
                         try deserialize(field.type, serialized[indices[last_index]..end], &@field(out.*, field.name));
diff --git a/src/tests.zig b/src/tests.zig
index b037853..d1206b3 100644
--- a/src/tests.zig
+++ b/src/tests.zig
@@ -143,17 +143,36 @@ test "serializes a structure without variable fields" {
     try expect(std.mem.eql(u8, list.items, serialized_data[0..]));
 }
 
-test "(de)serializes a structure with variable fields" {
+test "(de)serializes a runtime structure with variable-size fields" {
     // Taken from ssz.cr
     const Person = struct {
-        name: []const u8,
+        name: []u8,
         age: u8,
-        company: []const u8,
+        company: []u8,
     };
     var data = Person{
-        .name = "James",
+        .name = try std.testing.allocator.alloc(u8, 5),
+        .age = 32,
+        .company = try std.testing.allocator.alloc(u8, 8),
+    };
+    @memcpy(data.name, "James");
+    @memcpy(data.company, "DEV Inc.");
+    const serialized_data = [_]u8{ 9, 0, 0, 0, 32, 14, 0, 0, 0, 74, 97, 109, 101, 115, 68, 69, 86, 32, 73, 110, 99, 46 };
+
+    var list = ArrayList(u8).init(std.testing.allocator);
+    defer list.deinit();
+    // Note the `&data` - this is so that `data` is not considered const.
+    try serialize(@TypeOf(&data), &data, &list);
+    try expect(std.mem.eql(u8, list.items, serialized_data[0..]));
+    var out: @TypeOf(data) = undefined;
+    try deserialize(@TypeOf(data), list.items, &out);
+}
+
+test "(de)serializes a comptime structure with variable-size fields" {
+    // Taken from ssz.cr
+    var data = .{
         .age = 32,
-        .company = "DEV Inc.",
+        .company = @as([]u8, @constCast("DEV Inc.")),
     };
     const serialized_data = [_]u8{ 9, 0, 0, 0, 32, 14, 0, 0, 0, 74, 97, 109, 101, 115, 68, 69, 86, 32, 73, 110, 99, 46 };
 
@@ -347,17 +366,17 @@ test "deserializes a string" {
 }
 
 const Pastry = struct {
-    name: []const u8,
+    name: []u8,
     weight: u16,
 };
 
 const pastries = [_]Pastry{
     Pastry{
-        .name = "croissant",
+        .name = @as([]u8, @constCast("croissant")),
         .weight = 20,
     },
     Pastry{
-        .name = "Herrentorte",
+        .name = @as([]u8, @constCast("Herrentorte")),
         .weight = 500,
     },
 };