diff --git a/src/serde/de_br.rs b/src/serde/de_br.rs
index a691882c..b5282614 100644
--- a/src/serde/de_br.rs
+++ b/src/serde/de_br.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use std::collections::HashSet;
 use std::io;
 use std::io::{Cursor, Read};
 
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ enum ParseOp {
 pub fn node_from_stream_backrefs(
     allocator: &mut Allocator,
     f: &mut Cursor<&[u8]>,
+    mut backref_callback: impl FnMut(NodePtr),
 ) -> io::Result<NodePtr> {
     let mut values = allocator.nil();
     let mut ops = vec![ParseOp::SExp];
@@ -36,6 +38,7 @@ pub fn node_from_stream_backrefs(
                     let path = parse_path(f)?;
                     let reduction = traverse_path(allocator, path, values)?;
                     let back_reference = reduction.1;
+                    backref_callback(back_reference);
                     values = allocator.new_pair(back_reference, values)?;
                 } else {
                     let new_atom = parse_atom(allocator, b[0], f)?;
@@ -61,7 +64,19 @@ pub fn node_from_stream_backrefs(
 
 pub fn node_from_bytes_backrefs(allocator: &mut Allocator, b: &[u8]) -> io::Result<NodePtr> {
     let mut buffer = Cursor::new(b);
-    node_from_stream_backrefs(allocator, &mut buffer)
+    node_from_stream_backrefs(allocator, &mut buffer, |_node| {})
+}
+
+pub fn node_from_bytes_backrefs_record(
+    allocator: &mut Allocator,
+    b: &[u8],
+) -> io::Result<(NodePtr, HashSet<NodePtr>)> {
+    let mut buffer = Cursor::new(b);
+    let mut backrefs = HashSet::<NodePtr>::new();
+    let ret = node_from_stream_backrefs(allocator, &mut buffer, |node| {
+        backrefs.insert(node);
+    })?;
+    Ok((ret, backrefs))
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
@@ -113,3 +128,57 @@ fn test_deserialize_with_backrefs() {
         "e23c73777f814e8a4e2785487b272b8b22ddaded1f7cfb808b43f1148602882f",
     );
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn test_deserialize_with_backrefs_record() {
+    fn deserialize_check(serialization_as_hex: &str, expected_backrefs: &[&'static str]) {
+        use crate::serde::node_to_bytes;
+        let buf = Vec::from_hex(serialization_as_hex).unwrap();
+        let mut allocator = Allocator::new();
+        let (_node, backrefs) = node_from_bytes_backrefs_record(&mut allocator, &buf)
+            .expect("node_from_bytes_backrefs_records");
+        println!("backrefs: {:?}", backrefs);
+        assert_eq!(backrefs.len(), expected_backrefs.len());
+
+        let expected_backrefs =
+            HashSet::<String>::from_iter(expected_backrefs.iter().map(|s| s.to_string()));
+        let backrefs = HashSet::from_iter(
+            backrefs
+                .iter()
+                .map(|br| hex::encode(node_to_bytes(&allocator, *br).expect("node_to_bytes"))),
+        );
+
+        assert_eq!(backrefs, expected_backrefs);
+    }
+
+    // ("foobar" "foobar")
+    // no-backrefs
+    deserialize_check("ff86666f6f626172ff86666f6f62617280", &[]);
+    // with back-refs
+    deserialize_check(
+        "ff86666f6f626172fe01", // ("foobar" "foobar")
+        &["ff86666f6f62617280"],
+    );
+
+    // ((1 2 3 4) 1 2 3 4)
+    // no-backrefs
+    deserialize_check("ffff01ff02ff03ff0480ff01ff02ff03ff0480", &[]);
+    // with back-refs
+    deserialize_check(
+        "ffff01ff02ff03ff0480fe02", // ((1 2 3 4) 1 2 3 4)
+        &["ff01ff02ff03ff0480"],
+    );
+
+    // `(((((a_very_long_repeated_string . 1) .  (2 . 3)) . ((4 . 5) .  (6 . 7))) . (8 . 9)) 10 a_very_long_repeated_string)`
+    // no-backrefs
+    deserialize_check(
+        "ffffffffff9b615f766572795f6c6f6e675f72657065617465645f737472696e6701ff0203ffff04\
+         05ff0607ff0809ff0aff9b615f766572795f6c6f6e675f72657065617465645f737472696e6780",
+        &[],
+    );
+    // with back-refs
+    deserialize_check(
+        "ffffffffff9b615f766572795f6c6f6e675f72657065617465645f737472696e6701ff0203ffff0405ff0607ff0809ff0afffe4180",
+        &["9b615f766572795f6c6f6e675f72657065617465645f737472696e67"],
+    );
+}
diff --git a/src/serde/mod.rs b/src/serde/mod.rs
index 430629a6..cbf597b6 100644
--- a/src/serde/mod.rs
+++ b/src/serde/mod.rs
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ pub mod write_atom;
 mod test;
 
 pub use de::node_from_bytes;
-pub use de_br::node_from_bytes_backrefs;
+pub use de_br::{node_from_bytes_backrefs, node_from_bytes_backrefs_record};
 pub use de_tree::{parse_triples, ParsedTriple};
 pub use ser::node_to_bytes;
 pub use ser_br::node_to_bytes_backrefs;