diff --git a/lib/reader.js b/lib/reader.js
index 43e78d9d..aa301477 100644
--- a/lib/reader.js
+++ b/lib/reader.js
@@ -482,8 +482,7 @@ function decodeDataPageV2(cursor, header, opts) {
 
 function decodeSchema(schemaElements) {
   let schema = {};
-  for (let idx = 0; idx < schemaElements.length; ) {
-    const schemaElement = schemaElements[idx];
+  schemaElements.forEach(schemaElement => {
 
     let repetitionType = parquet_util.getThriftEnum(
         parquet_thrift.FieldRepetitionType,
@@ -506,9 +505,20 @@ function decodeSchema(schemaElements) {
       schema[schemaElement.name] = {
         optional: optional,
         repeated: repeated,
-        fields: decodeSchema(
-            schemaElements.slice(idx + 1, idx + 1 + schemaElement.num_children))
+        fields: Object.create({},{
+          /* define parent and num_children as non-enumerable */
+          parent: {
+            value: schema,
+            enumerable: false 
+          },
+          num_children: {
+            value: schemaElement.num_children,
+            enumerable: false
+          }
+        })
       };
+      /* move the schema pointer to the children */
+      schema = schema[schemaElement.name].fields;
     } else {
       let logicalType = parquet_util.getThriftEnum(
           parquet_thrift.Type,
@@ -528,9 +538,11 @@ function decodeSchema(schemaElements) {
       };
     }
 
-    idx += (schemaElement.num_children || 0) + 1;
-  }
-
+    /* if we have processed all children we move schema pointer to parent again */
+    while (schema.parent && Object.keys(schema).length === schema.num_children) {
+      schema = schema.parent;
+    }
+  });
   return schema;
 }
 
diff --git a/test/decodeSchema.js b/test/decodeSchema.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..64994440
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/decodeSchema.js
@@ -0,0 +1,234 @@
+'use strict';
+const chai = require('chai');
+const assert = chai.assert;
+const parquet = require('../parquet.js');
+
+describe('ParquetSchema', function() {
+  it('should handle complex nesting', function() {
+    var metadata = {
+      version: 1,
+      schema: [
+        { type: null,
+          type_length: null,
+          repetition_type: null,
+          name: 'root',
+          num_children: 1,
+          converted_type: null,
+          scale: null,
+          precision: null,
+          field_id: null
+        }, {
+          type: null,
+          type_length: null,
+          repetition_type: 0,
+          name: 'a',
+          num_children: 2,
+          converted_type: null,
+          scale: null,
+          precision: null,
+          field_id: null
+        }, {
+          type: null,
+          type_length: null,
+          repetition_type: 0,
+          name: 'b',
+          num_children: 2,
+          converted_type: null,
+          scale: null,
+          precision: null,
+          field_id: null
+        }, {
+          type: null,
+          type_length: null,
+          repetition_type: 0,
+          name: 'c',
+          num_children: 1,
+          converted_type: null,
+          scale: null,
+          precision: null,
+          field_id: null
+        }, {
+          type: 6,
+          type_length: null,
+          repetition_type: 0,
+          name: 'd',
+          num_children: null,
+          converted_type: 0,
+          scale: null,
+          precision: null,
+          field_id: null
+       }, {
+          type: null,
+          type_length: null,
+          repetition_type: 0,
+          name: 'e',
+          num_children: 2,
+          converted_type: null,
+          scale: null,
+          precision: null,
+          field_id: null
+        }, {
+          type: 6,
+          type_length: null,
+          repetition_type: 0,
+          name: 'f',
+          num_children: null,
+          converted_type: 0,
+          scale: null,
+          precision: null,
+          field_id: null
+        }, {
+          type: 6,
+          type_length: null,
+          repetition_type: 0,
+          name: 'g',
+          num_children: null,
+          converted_type: 0,
+          scale: null,
+          precision: null,
+          field_id: null
+        }, {
+          type: 6,
+          type_length: null,
+          repetition_type: 0,
+          name: 'h',
+          num_children: null,
+          converted_type: 0,
+          scale: null,
+          precision: null,
+          field_id: null
+        }
+      ]
+    };
+
+    const expected = {
+      "a": {
+        "name": "a",
+        "path": [
+          "a"
+        ],
+        "repetitionType": "REQUIRED",
+        "rLevelMax": 0,
+        "dLevelMax": 0,
+        "isNested": true,
+        "fieldCount": 2,
+        "fields": {
+          "b": {
+            "name": "b",
+            "path": [
+              "a",
+              "b"
+            ],
+            "repetitionType": "REQUIRED",
+            "rLevelMax": 0,
+            "dLevelMax": 0,
+            "isNested": true,
+            "fieldCount": 2,
+            "fields": {
+              "c": {
+                "name": "c",
+                "path": [
+                  "a",
+                  "b",
+                  "c"
+                ],
+                "repetitionType": "REQUIRED",
+                "rLevelMax": 0,
+                "dLevelMax": 0,
+                "isNested": true,
+                "fieldCount": 1,
+                "fields": {
+                  "d": {
+                    "name": "d",
+                    "primitiveType": "BYTE_ARRAY",
+                    "originalType": "UTF8",
+                    "path": [
+                      "a",
+                      "b",
+                      "c",
+                      "d"
+                    ],
+                    "repetitionType": "REQUIRED",
+                    "typeLength": undefined,
+                    "encoding": "PLAIN",
+                    "compression": "UNCOMPRESSED",
+                    "rLevelMax": 0,
+                    "dLevelMax": 0
+                  }
+                }
+              },
+              "e": {
+                "name": "e",
+                "path": [
+                  "a",
+                  "b",
+                  "e"
+                ],
+                "repetitionType": "REQUIRED",
+                "rLevelMax": 0,
+                "dLevelMax": 0,
+                "isNested": true,
+                "fieldCount": 2,
+                "fields": {
+                  "f": {
+                    "name": "f",
+                    "primitiveType": "BYTE_ARRAY",
+                    "originalType": "UTF8",
+                    "path": [
+                      "a",
+                      "b",
+                      "e",
+                      "f"
+                    ],
+                    "repetitionType": "REQUIRED",
+                    "typeLength": undefined,
+                    "encoding": "PLAIN",
+                    "compression": "UNCOMPRESSED",
+                    "rLevelMax": 0,
+                    "dLevelMax": 0
+                  },
+                  "g": {
+                    "name": "g",
+                    "primitiveType": "BYTE_ARRAY",
+                    "originalType": "UTF8",
+                    "path": [
+                      "a",
+                      "b",
+                      "e",
+                      "g"
+                    ],
+                    "repetitionType": "REQUIRED",
+                    "typeLength": undefined,
+                    "encoding": "PLAIN",
+                    "compression": "UNCOMPRESSED",
+                    "rLevelMax": 0,
+                    "dLevelMax": 0
+                  }
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          },
+          "h": {
+            "name": "h",
+            "primitiveType": "BYTE_ARRAY",
+            "originalType": "UTF8",
+            "path": [
+              "a",
+              "h"
+            ],
+            "repetitionType": "REQUIRED",
+            "typeLength": undefined,
+            "encoding": "PLAIN",
+            "compression": "UNCOMPRESSED",
+            "rLevelMax": 0,
+            "dLevelMax": 0
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    };
+
+    const reader = new parquet.ParquetReader(metadata,{});
+    assert.deepEqual(reader.schema.fields,expected);
+  });
+
+});