diff --git a/capnp/lib/capnp.pyx b/capnp/lib/capnp.pyx
index dd0f9b8..e277ad9 100644
--- a/capnp/lib/capnp.pyx
+++ b/capnp/lib/capnp.pyx
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ from libc.string cimport memcpy
 import array
 import asyncio
 import collections as _collections
+import contextlib
 import enum as _enum
 import inspect as _inspect
 import os as _os
@@ -3320,6 +3321,7 @@ class _StructModule(object):
         reader = _MultipleBytesPackedMessageReader(buf, self.schema, traversal_limit_in_words, nesting_limit)
         return reader
 
+    @contextlib.contextmanager
     def from_bytes(self, buf, traversal_limit_in_words=None, nesting_limit=None, builder=False):
         """Returns a Reader for the unpacked object in buf.
 
@@ -3340,13 +3342,18 @@ class _StructModule(object):
 
         :rtype: :class:`_DynamicStructReader` or :class:`_DynamicStructBuilder`
         """
-        if builder:
-            # message = _FlatMessageBuilder(buf)
-            message = _FlatArrayMessageReader(buf, traversal_limit_in_words, nesting_limit)
-            return message.get_root(self.schema).as_builder()
-        else:
-            message = _FlatArrayMessageReader(buf, traversal_limit_in_words, nesting_limit)
-            return message.get_root(self.schema)
+        message = None
+        try:
+            if builder:
+                # message = _FlatMessageBuilder(buf)
+                message = _FlatArrayMessageReader(buf, traversal_limit_in_words, nesting_limit)
+                yield message.get_root(self.schema).as_builder()
+            else:
+                message = _FlatArrayMessageReader(buf, traversal_limit_in_words, nesting_limit)
+                yield message.get_root(self.schema)
+        finally:
+            if message:
+                message.close()
 
     def from_segments(self, segments, traversal_limit_in_words=None, nesting_limit=None):
         """Returns a Reader for a list of segment bytes.
@@ -4088,15 +4095,22 @@ cdef class _AlignedBuffer:
 cdef class _BufferView:
     cdef Py_buffer view
     cdef char * buf
+    cdef int closed
 
     def __init__(self, other):
         cdef int ret = PyObject_GetBuffer(other, &self.view, PyBUF_SIMPLE)
         if ret < 0:
             raise ValueError("Invalid buffer passed to BufferView")
         self.buf = <char*>self.view.buf
+        self.closed = False
+
+    def close(self):
+        if not self.closed:
+            PyBuffer_Release(&self.view)
+            self.closed = True
 
     def __dealloc__(self):
-        PyBuffer_Release(&self.view)
+        self.close()
 
 
 @cython.internal
@@ -4133,6 +4147,7 @@ cdef class _FlatArrayMessageReaderAligned(_MessageReader):
 @cython.internal
 cdef class _FlatArrayMessageReader(_MessageReader):
     cdef object _object_to_pin
+    cdef _BufferView _buffer_view
 
     def __init__(self, buf, traversal_limit_in_words=None, nesting_limit=None):
         cdef schema_cpp.ReaderOptions opts = make_reader_opts(traversal_limit_in_words, nesting_limit)
@@ -4151,10 +4166,12 @@ cdef class _FlatArrayMessageReader(_MessageReader):
                 self._object_to_pin = aligned
             else:
                 self._object_to_pin = buf
+            self._buffer_view = None
         elif PyObject_CheckBuffer(buf):
             view = _BufferView(buf)
             ptr = view.buf
             self._object_to_pin = view
+            self._buffer_view = view
         else:
             raise TypeError('expected buffer-like object in FlatArrayMessageReader')
 
@@ -4162,7 +4179,12 @@ cdef class _FlatArrayMessageReader(_MessageReader):
             schema_cpp.WordArrayPtr(<schema_cpp.word*>ptr, sz//8),
             opts)
 
+    def close(self):
+        if self._buffer_view:
+            self._buffer_view.close()
+
     def __dealloc__(self):
+        self.close()
         del self.thisptr
 
 
diff --git a/test/test_serialization.py b/test/test_serialization.py
index 558e3c1..09e1278 100644
--- a/test/test_serialization.py
+++ b/test/test_serialization.py
@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ def test_roundtrip_bytes(all_types):
     test_regression.init_all_types(msg)
     message_bytes = msg.to_bytes()
 
-    msg = all_types.TestAllTypes.from_bytes(message_bytes)
-    test_regression.check_all_types(msg)
+    with all_types.TestAllTypes.from_bytes(message_bytes) as msg:
+        test_regression.check_all_types(msg)
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(
@@ -77,8 +77,8 @@ def test_roundtrip_bytes_mmap(all_types):
         f.seek(0)
         memory = mmap.mmap(f.fileno(), length)
 
-        msg = all_types.TestAllTypes.from_bytes(memory)
-        test_regression.check_all_types(msg)
+        with all_types.TestAllTypes.from_bytes(memory) as msg:
+            test_regression.check_all_types(msg)
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(
@@ -91,15 +91,16 @@ def test_roundtrip_bytes_buffer(all_types):
     b = msg.to_bytes()
     v = memoryview(b)
     try:
-        msg = all_types.TestAllTypes.from_bytes(v)
-        test_regression.check_all_types(msg)
+        with all_types.TestAllTypes.from_bytes(v) as msg:
+            test_regression.check_all_types(msg)
     finally:
         v.release()
 
 
 def test_roundtrip_bytes_fail(all_types):
     with pytest.raises(TypeError):
-        all_types.TestAllTypes.from_bytes(42)
+        with all_types.TestAllTypes.from_bytes(42) as msg:
+            pass
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(
@@ -232,14 +233,14 @@ def test_from_bytes_traversal_limit(all_types):
     bld.init("structList", size)
     data = bld.to_bytes()
 
-    msg = all_types.TestAllTypes.from_bytes(data)
-    with pytest.raises(capnp.KjException):
-        for i in range(0, size):
-            msg.structList[i].uInt8Field == 0
+    with all_types.TestAllTypes.from_bytes(data) as msg:
+        with pytest.raises(capnp.KjException):
+            for i in range(0, size):
+                msg.structList[i].uInt8Field == 0
 
-    msg = all_types.TestAllTypes.from_bytes(data, traversal_limit_in_words=2**62)
-    for i in range(0, size):
-        assert msg.structList[i].uInt8Field == 0
+    with all_types.TestAllTypes.from_bytes(data, traversal_limit_in_words=2 ** 62) as msg:
+        for i in range(0, size):
+            assert msg.structList[i].uInt8Field == 0
 
 
 def test_from_bytes_packed_traversal_limit(all_types):