diff --git a/include/highfive/bits/H5Attribute_misc.hpp b/include/highfive/bits/H5Attribute_misc.hpp
index 33295d40e..887660c9f 100644
--- a/include/highfive/bits/H5Attribute_misc.hpp
+++ b/include/highfive/bits/H5Attribute_misc.hpp
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ inline void Attribute::read(T* array) const {
 template <typename T>
 inline void Attribute::write(const T& buffer) {
     const DataSpace& mem_space = getMemSpace();
+    auto dims = mem_space.getDimensions();
 
     if (mem_space.getElementCount() == 0) {
         return;
@@ -138,7 +139,7 @@ inline void Attribute::write(const T& buffer) {
            << " into dataset of dimensions " << mem_space.getNumberDimensions();
         throw DataSpaceException(ss.str());
     }
-    auto w = details::data_converter::serialize<T>(buffer, file_datatype);
+    auto w = details::data_converter::serialize<T>(buffer, dims, file_datatype);
     write_raw(w.getPointer(), buffer_info.data_type);
 }
 
diff --git a/include/highfive/bits/H5Converter_misc.hpp b/include/highfive/bits/H5Converter_misc.hpp
index ed387702f..c0802c6b4 100644
--- a/include/highfive/bits/H5Converter_misc.hpp
+++ b/include/highfive/bits/H5Converter_misc.hpp
@@ -344,23 +344,23 @@ struct Writer<T, typename enable_shallow_copy<T>::type>: public ShallowCopyBuffe
     using super = ShallowCopyBuffer<T, true>;
 
   public:
-    explicit Writer(const T& val, const DataType& /* file_datatype */)
+    explicit Writer(const T& val, const std::vector<size_t>& /* dims */, const DataType& /* file_datatype */)
         : super(val){};
 };
 
 template <typename T>
 struct Writer<T, typename enable_deep_copy<T>::type>: public DeepCopyBuffer<T> {
-    explicit Writer(const T& val, const DataType& /* file_datatype */)
-        : DeepCopyBuffer<T>(inspector<T>::getDimensions(val)) {
-        inspector<T>::serialize(val, this->begin());
+    explicit Writer(const T& val, const std::vector<size_t>& _dims, const DataType& /* file_datatype */)
+        : DeepCopyBuffer<T>(_dims) {
+        inspector<T>::serialize(val, _dims, this->begin());
     }
 };
 
 template <typename T>
 struct Writer<T, typename enable_string_copy<T>::type>: public StringBuffer<T, BufferMode::Write> {
-    explicit Writer(const T& val, const DataType& _file_datatype)
-        : StringBuffer<T, BufferMode::Write>(inspector<T>::getDimensions(val), _file_datatype) {
-        inspector<T>::serialize(val, this->begin());
+    explicit Writer(const T& val, const std::vector<size_t>& _dims, const DataType& _file_datatype)
+        : StringBuffer<T, BufferMode::Write>(_dims, _file_datatype) {
+        inspector<T>::serialize(val, _dims, this->begin());
     }
 };
 
@@ -402,8 +402,9 @@ struct Reader<T, typename enable_string_copy<T>::type>: public StringBuffer<T, B
 struct data_converter {
     template <typename T>
     static Writer<T> serialize(const typename inspector<T>::type& val,
+                               const std::vector<size_t>& dims,
                                const DataType& file_datatype) {
-        return Writer<T>(val, file_datatype);
+        return Writer<T>(val, dims, file_datatype);
     }
 
     template <typename T>
diff --git a/include/highfive/bits/H5Inspector_misc.hpp b/include/highfive/bits/H5Inspector_misc.hpp
index 1613f87c3..4ccd802d9 100644
--- a/include/highfive/bits/H5Inspector_misc.hpp
+++ b/include/highfive/bits/H5Inspector_misc.hpp
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ inspector<T> {
     // Return a point of the first value of val
     static const hdf5_type* data(const type& val)
     // Take a val and serialize it inside 'out'
-    static void serialize(const type& val, hdf5_type* out)
+    static void serialize(const type& val, const std::vector<size_t>& dims, hdf5_type* out)
     // Return an array of dimensions of the space needed for writing val
     static std::vector<size_t> getDimensions(const type& val)
 }
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ struct type_helper {
         return &val;
     }
 
-    static void serialize(const type& val, hdf5_type* m) {
+    static void serialize(const type& val, const std::vector<size_t>& /* dims*/, hdf5_type* m) {
         static_assert(is_trivially_copyable, "The type is not trivially copyable");
         *m = val;
     }
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ struct inspector<bool>: type_helper<bool> {
         val = vec[0] != 0 ? true : false;
     }
 
-    static void serialize(const type& val, hdf5_type* m) {
+    static void serialize(const type& val, const std::vector<size_t>& /* dims*/, hdf5_type* m) {
         *m = val ? 1 : 0;
     }
 };
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ struct inspector<std::string>: type_helper<std::string> {
     }
 
     template <class It>
-    static void serialize(const type& val, It m) {
+    static void serialize(const type& val, const std::vector<size_t>& /* dims*/, It m) {
         (*m).assign(val.data(), val.size(), StringPadding::NullTerminated);
     }
 
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ struct inspector<Reference>: type_helper<Reference> {
         throw DataSpaceException("A Reference cannot be written directly.");
     }
 
-    static void serialize(const type& val, hdf5_type* m) {
+    static void serialize(const type& val, const std::vector<size_t>& /* dims*/, hdf5_type* m) {
         hobj_ref_t ref;
         val.create_ref(&ref);
         *m = ref;
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ struct inspector<FixedLenStringArray<N>> {
         return val.data();
     }
 
-    static void serialize(const type& val, hdf5_type* m) {
+    static void serialize(const type& val, const std::vector<size_t>& /* dims*/, hdf5_type* m) {
         for (size_t i = 0; i < val.size(); ++i) {
             std::memcpy(m + i * N, val[i], N);
         }
@@ -393,11 +393,12 @@ struct inspector<std::vector<T>> {
     }
 
     template <class It>
-    static void serialize(const type& val, It m) {
+    static void serialize(const type& val, const std::vector<size_t>& dims, It m) {
         if (!val.empty()) {
             size_t subsize = inspector<value_type>::getSizeVal(val[0]);
+            auto subdims = std::vector<size_t>(dims.begin() + 1, dims.end());
             for (auto&& e: val) {
-                inspector<value_type>::serialize(e, m);
+                inspector<value_type>::serialize(e, subdims, m);
                 m += subsize;
             }
         }
@@ -455,7 +456,7 @@ struct inspector<std::vector<bool>> {
         throw DataSpaceException("A std::vector<bool> cannot be written directly.");
     }
 
-    static void serialize(const type& val, hdf5_type* m) {
+    static void serialize(const type& val, const std::vector<size_t>& /* dims*/, hdf5_type* m) {
         for (size_t i = 0; i < val.size(); ++i) {
             m[i] = val[i] ? 1 : 0;
         }
@@ -522,10 +523,11 @@ struct inspector<std::array<T, N>> {
     }
 
     template <class It>
-    static void serialize(const type& val, It m) {
+    static void serialize(const type& val, const std::vector<size_t>& dims, It m) {
         size_t subsize = inspector<value_type>::getSizeVal(val[0]);
+        auto subdims = std::vector<size_t>(dims.begin() + 1, dims.end());
         for (auto& e: val) {
-            inspector<value_type>::serialize(e, m);
+            inspector<value_type>::serialize(e, subdims, m);
             m += subsize;
         }
     }
@@ -573,7 +575,7 @@ struct inspector<T*> {
 
     /* it works because there is only T[][][] currently
        we will fix it one day */
-    static void serialize(const type& /* val */, hdf5_type* /* m */) {
+    static void serialize(const type& /* val */, const std::vector<size_t>& /* dims*/, hdf5_type* /* m */) {
         throw DataSpaceException("Not possible to serialize a T*");
     }
 };
@@ -610,10 +612,11 @@ struct inspector<T[N]> {
 
     /* it works because there is only T[][][] currently
        we will fix it one day */
-    static void serialize(const type& val, hdf5_type* m) {
+    static void serialize(const type& val, const std::vector<size_t>& dims, hdf5_type* m) {
         size_t subsize = inspector<value_type>::getSizeVal(val[0]);
+        auto subdims = std::vector<size_t>(dims.begin() + 1, dims.end());
         for (size_t i = 0; i < N; ++i) {
-            inspector<value_type>::serialize(val[i], m + i * subsize);
+            inspector<value_type>::serialize(val[i], subdims, m + i * subsize);
         }
     }
 };
diff --git a/include/highfive/bits/H5Slice_traits_misc.hpp b/include/highfive/bits/H5Slice_traits_misc.hpp
index dd7e45b1d..054e558f1 100644
--- a/include/highfive/bits/H5Slice_traits_misc.hpp
+++ b/include/highfive/bits/H5Slice_traits_misc.hpp
@@ -241,6 +241,7 @@ template <typename T>
 inline void SliceTraits<Derivate>::write(const T& buffer, const DataTransferProps& xfer_props) {
     const auto& slice = static_cast<const Derivate&>(*this);
     const DataSpace& mem_space = slice.getMemSpace();
+    auto dims = mem_space.getDimensions();
 
     auto file_datatype = slice.getDataType();
 
@@ -256,7 +257,7 @@ inline void SliceTraits<Derivate>::write(const T& buffer, const DataTransferProp
            << " into dataset with n = " << buffer_info.n_dimensions << " dimensions.";
         throw DataSpaceException(ss.str());
     }
-    auto w = details::data_converter::serialize<T>(buffer, file_datatype);
+    auto w = details::data_converter::serialize<T>(buffer, dims, file_datatype);
     write_raw(w.getPointer(), buffer_info.data_type, xfer_props);
 }
 
diff --git a/include/highfive/boost.hpp b/include/highfive/boost.hpp
index 8992159a2..3bb276e5e 100644
--- a/include/highfive/boost.hpp
+++ b/include/highfive/boost.hpp
@@ -71,11 +71,12 @@ struct inspector<boost::multi_array<T, Dims>> {
     }
 
     template <class It>
-    static void serialize(const type& val, It m) {
+    static void serialize(const type& val, const std::vector<size_t>& dims, It m) {
         size_t size = val.num_elements();
         size_t subsize = inspector<value_type>::getSizeVal(*val.origin());
+        auto subdims = std::vector<size_t>(dims.begin() + ndim, dims.end());
         for (size_t i = 0; i < size; ++i) {
-            inspector<value_type>::serialize(*(val.origin() + i), m + i * subsize);
+            inspector<value_type>::serialize(*(val.origin() + i), subdims, m + i * subsize);
         }
     }
 
@@ -136,11 +137,12 @@ struct inspector<boost::numeric::ublas::matrix<T>> {
         return inspector<value_type>::data(val(0, 0));
     }
 
-    static void serialize(const type& val, hdf5_type* m) {
+    static void serialize(const type& val, const std::vector<size_t>& dims, hdf5_type* m) {
         size_t size = val.size1() * val.size2();
         size_t subsize = inspector<value_type>::getSizeVal(val(0, 0));
+        auto subdims = std::vector<size_t>(dims.begin() + ndim, dims.end());
         for (size_t i = 0; i < size; ++i) {
-            inspector<value_type>::serialize(*(&val(0, 0) + i), m + i * subsize);
+            inspector<value_type>::serialize(*(&val(0, 0) + i), subdims, m + i * subsize);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/include/highfive/eigen.hpp b/include/highfive/eigen.hpp
index c47095dde..72019f0ca 100644
--- a/include/highfive/eigen.hpp
+++ b/include/highfive/eigen.hpp
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ struct inspector<Eigen::Matrix<T, M, N>> {
         return inspector<value_type>::data(*val.data());
     }
 
-    static void serialize(const type& val, hdf5_type* m) {
+    static void serialize(const type& val, const std::vector<size_t>& /* dims */, hdf5_type* m) {
         assert_not_buggy(val.rows(), val.cols());
         std::memcpy(m, val.data(), static_cast<size_t>(val.size()) * sizeof(hdf5_type));
     }