diff --git a/clients/c/cosmopolite.c b/clients/c/cosmopolite.c
index d797824..5b9850d 100644
--- a/clients/c/cosmopolite.c
+++ b/clients/c/cosmopolite.c
@@ -141,6 +141,20 @@ static void cosmo_handle_message(cosmo *instance, json_t *event) {
   }
   json_int_t id = json_integer_value(id_json);
 
+  json_t *message_content = json_object_get(event, "message");
+  if (!message_content) {
+    fprintf(stderr, "message event without content\n");
+    return;
+  }
+
+  json_error_t err;
+  json_t *message_object = json_loads(json_string_value(message_content), 0, &err);
+  if (!message_object) {
+    fprintf(stderr, "error parsing message content: %s\n", err.text);
+    return;
+  }
+  json_object_set_new(event, "message", message_object);
+
   assert(!pthread_mutex_lock(&instance->lock));
   json_t *subscription = cosmo_find_subscription(instance, subject);
   if (!subscription) {
@@ -148,6 +162,7 @@ static void cosmo_handle_message(cosmo *instance, json_t *event) {
     assert(!pthread_mutex_unlock(&instance->lock));
     return;
   }
+
   json_t *messages = json_object_get(subscription, "messages");
   ssize_t insert_after;
   for (insert_after = json_array_size(messages) - 1; insert_after >= 0; insert_after--) {