diff --git a/src/middleware.ts b/src/middleware.ts
index 323bd9f..b78eb02 100644
--- a/src/middleware.ts
+++ b/src/middleware.ts
@@ -20,14 +20,7 @@ type RouteObject = {
 	type: 'page' | 'route';
 	pattern: RegExp;
 	params: (match: RegExpMatchArray) => Record<string, string>;
-	module: {
-		render: (data: any, opts: { store: Store }) => {
-			head: string;
-			css: { code: string, map: any };
-			html: string
-		},
-		preload: (data: any) => any | Promise<any>
-	};
+	module: Component;
 	error?: string;
 }
 
@@ -47,7 +40,17 @@ interface Req extends ClientRequest {
 	headers: Record<string, string>;
 }
 
-export default function middleware({ routes, store }: {
+interface Component {
+	render: (data: any, opts: { store: Store }) => {
+		head: string;
+		css: { code: string, map: any };
+		html: string
+	},
+	preload: (data: any) => any | Promise<any>
+}
+
+export default function middleware({ App, routes, store }: {
+	App: Component,
 	routes: RouteObject[],
 	store: (req: Req) => Store
 }) {
@@ -90,7 +93,7 @@ export default function middleware({ routes, store }: {
 			cache_control: 'max-age=31536000'
 		}),
 
-		get_route_handler(client_info.assets, routes, store)
+		get_route_handler(client_info.assets, App, routes, store)
 	].filter(Boolean));
 
 	return middleware;
@@ -135,7 +138,7 @@ function serve({ prefix, pathname, cache_control }: {
 
 const resolved = Promise.resolve();
 
-function get_route_handler(chunks: Record<string, string>, routes: RouteObject[], store_getter: (req: Req) => Store) {
+function get_route_handler(chunks: Record<string, string>, App: Component, routes: RouteObject[], store_getter: (req: Req) => Store) {
 	const template = dev()
 		? () => fs.readFileSync(`${locations.app()}/template.html`, 'utf-8')
 		: (str => () => str)(fs.readFileSync(`${locations.dest()}/template.html`, 'utf-8'));
@@ -170,7 +173,7 @@ function get_route_handler(chunks: Record<string, string>, routes: RouteObject[]
 					res.setHeader('Link', link);
 
 					const store = store_getter ? store_getter(req) : null;
-					const data = { params: req.params, query: req.query };
+					const props = { params: req.params, query: req.query, path: req.path };
 
 					let redirect: { statusCode: number, location: string };
 					let error: { statusCode: number, message: Error | string };
@@ -240,9 +243,9 @@ function get_route_handler(chunks: Record<string, string>, routes: RouteObject[]
 							preloaded: mod.preload && try_serialize(preloaded),
 							store: store && try_serialize(store.get())
 						};
-						Object.assign(data, preloaded);
+						Object.assign(props, preloaded);
 
-						const { html, head, css } = mod.render(data, {
+						const { html, head, css } = App.render({ Page: mod, props }, {
 							store
 						});
 
diff --git a/src/runtime/index.ts b/src/runtime/index.ts
index 5e643be..ca77786 100644
--- a/src/runtime/index.ts
+++ b/src/runtime/index.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { Component, ComponentConstructor, Params, Query, Route, RouteData, Scrol
 
 const manifest = typeof window !== 'undefined' && window.__SAPPER__;
 
+export let App: ComponentConstructor;
 export let component: Component;
 let target: Node;
 let store: Store;
@@ -27,10 +28,10 @@ function select_route(url: URL): Target {
 	if (url.origin !== window.location.origin) return null;
 	if (!url.pathname.startsWith(manifest.baseUrl)) return null;
 
-	const pathname = url.pathname.slice(manifest.baseUrl.length);
+	const path = url.pathname.slice(manifest.baseUrl.length);
 
 	for (const route of routes) {
-		const match = route.pattern.exec(pathname);
+		const match = route.pattern.exec(path);
 		if (match) {
 			if (route.ignore) return null;
 
@@ -43,19 +44,18 @@ function select_route(url: URL): Target {
 					query[key] = value || true;
 				})
 			}
-			return { url, route, data: { params, query } };
+			return { url, route, props: { params, query, path } };
 		}
 	}
 }
 
+let first_load = true;
 let current_token: {};
 
-function render(Component: ComponentConstructor, data: any, scroll: ScrollPosition, token: {}) {
+function render(Page: ComponentConstructor, props: any, scroll: ScrollPosition, token: {}) {
 	if (current_token !== token) return;
 
-	if (component) {
-		component.destroy();
-	} else {
+	if (first_load) {
 		// first load — remove SSR'd <head> contents
 		const start = document.querySelector('#sapper-head-start');
 		const end = document.querySelector('#sapper-head-end');
@@ -65,33 +65,43 @@ function render(Component: ComponentConstructor, data: any, scroll: ScrollPositi
 			detach(start);
 			detach(end);
 		}
-	}
 
-	component = new Component({
-		target,
-		data,
-		store,
-		hydrate: !component
-	});
+		component = new App({
+			target,
+			data: {
+				Page,
+				props
+			},
+			store,
+			hydrate: true
+		});
+
+		first_load = false;
+	} else {
+		component.set({
+			Page,
+			props
+		});
+	}
 
 	if (scroll) {
 		window.scrollTo(scroll.x, scroll.y);
 	}
 }
 
-function prepare_route(Component: ComponentConstructor, data: RouteData) {
+function prepare_route(Page: ComponentConstructor, props: RouteData) {
 	let redirect: { statusCode: number, location: string } = null;
 	let error: { statusCode: number, message: Error | string } = null;
 
-	if (!Component.preload) {
-		return { Component, data, redirect, error };
+	if (!Page.preload) {
+		return { Page, props, redirect, error };
 	}
 
 	if (!component && manifest.preloaded) {
-		return { Component, data: Object.assign(data, manifest.preloaded), redirect, error };
+		return { Page, props: Object.assign(props, manifest.preloaded), redirect, error };
 	}
 
-	return Promise.resolve(Component.preload.call({
+	return Promise.resolve(Page.preload.call({
 		store,
 		fetch: (url: string, opts?: any) => window.fetch(url, opts),
 		redirect: (statusCode: number, location: string) => {
@@ -100,7 +110,7 @@ function prepare_route(Component: ComponentConstructor, data: RouteData) {
 		error: (statusCode: number, message: Error | string) => {
 			error = { statusCode, message };
 		}
-	}, data)).catch(err => {
+	}, props)).catch(err => {
 		error = { statusCode: 500, message: err };
 	}).then(preloaded => {
 		if (error) {
@@ -108,15 +118,15 @@ function prepare_route(Component: ComponentConstructor, data: RouteData) {
 				? errors['4xx']
 				: errors['5xx'];
 
-			return route.load().then(({ default: Component }: { default: ComponentConstructor }) => {
+			return route.load().then(({ default: Page }: { default: ComponentConstructor }) => {
 				const err = error.message instanceof Error ? error.message : new Error(error.message);
-				Object.assign(data, { status: error.statusCode, error: err });
-				return { Component, data, redirect: null };
+				Object.assign(props, { status: error.statusCode, error: err });
+				return { Page, props, redirect: null };
 			});
 		}
 
-		Object.assign(data, preloaded)
-		return { Component, data, redirect };
+		Object.assign(props, preloaded)
+		return { Page, props, redirect };
 	});
 }
 
@@ -136,18 +146,18 @@ function navigate(target: Target, id: number) {
 
 	const loaded = prefetching && prefetching.href === target.url.href ?
 		prefetching.promise :
-		target.route.load().then(mod => prepare_route(mod.default, target.data));
+		target.route.load().then(mod => prepare_route(mod.default, target.props));
 
 	prefetching = null;
 
 	const token = current_token = {};
 
-	return loaded.then(({ Component, data, redirect }) => {
+	return loaded.then(({ Page, props, redirect }) => {
 		if (redirect) {
 			return goto(redirect.location, { replaceState: true });
 		}
 
-		render(Component, data, scroll_history[id], token);
+		render(Page, props, scroll_history[id], token);
 	});
 }
 
@@ -208,7 +218,7 @@ function handle_popstate(event: PopStateEvent) {
 
 let prefetching: {
 	href: string;
-	promise: Promise<{ Component: ComponentConstructor, data: any }>;
+	promise: Promise<{ Page: ComponentConstructor, props: any }>;
 } = null;
 
 export function prefetch(href: string) {
@@ -217,7 +227,7 @@ export function prefetch(href: string) {
 	if (selected && (!prefetching || href !== prefetching.href)) {
 		prefetching = {
 			href,
-			promise: selected.route.load().then(mod => prepare_route(mod.default, selected.data))
+			promise: selected.route.load().then(mod => prepare_route(mod.default, selected.props))
 		};
 	}
 }
@@ -240,12 +250,13 @@ function trigger_prefetch(event: MouseEvent | TouchEvent) {
 
 let inited: boolean;
 
-export function init(_target: Node, _routes: Route[], opts?: { store?: (data: any) => Store }) {
-	target = _target;
-	routes = _routes.filter(r => !r.error);
+export function init(opts: { App: ComponentConstructor, target: Node, routes: Route[], store?: (data: any) => Store }) {
+	App = opts.App;
+	target = opts.target;
+	routes = opts.routes.filter(r => !r.error);
 	errors = {
-		'4xx': _routes.find(r => r.error === '4xx'),
-		'5xx': _routes.find(r => r.error === '5xx')
+		'4xx': opts.routes.find(r => r.error === '4xx'),
+		'5xx': opts.routes.find(r => r.error === '5xx')
 	};
 
 	if (opts && opts.store) {
diff --git a/src/runtime/interfaces.ts b/src/runtime/interfaces.ts
index 371ea2d..d141039 100644
--- a/src/runtime/interfaces.ts
+++ b/src/runtime/interfaces.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,11 @@ import { Store } from '../interfaces';
 export { Store };
 export type Params = Record<string, string>;
 export type Query = Record<string, string | true>;
-export type RouteData = { params: Params, query: Query };
+export type RouteData = { params: Params, query: Query, path: string };
 
 export interface ComponentConstructor {
 	new (options: { target: Node, data: any, store: Store, hydrate: boolean }): Component;
-	preload: (data: { params: Params, query: Query }) => Promise<any>;
+	preload: (props: { params: Params, query: Query }) => Promise<any>;
 };
 
 export interface Component {
@@ -30,5 +30,5 @@ export type ScrollPosition = {
 export type Target = {
 	url: URL;
 	route: Route;
-	data: RouteData;
+	props: RouteData;
 };
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/app/app/App.html b/test/app/app/App.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..759f7ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/app/app/App.html
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<svelte:component this={Page} {...props}/>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/app/app/client.js b/test/app/app/client.js
index 44937a1..da89de9 100644
--- a/test/app/app/client.js
+++ b/test/app/app/client.js
@@ -1,9 +1,13 @@
 import { init, prefetchRoutes } from '../../../runtime.js';
 import { Store } from 'svelte/store.js';
 import { routes } from './manifest/client.js';
+import App from './App.html';
 
 window.init = () => {
-	return init(document.querySelector('#sapper'), routes, {
+	return init({
+		target: document.querySelector('#sapper'),
+		App,
+		routes,
 		store: data => new Store(data)
 	});
 };
diff --git a/test/app/app/server.js b/test/app/app/server.js
index 01b2153..3cef2a2 100644
--- a/test/app/app/server.js
+++ b/test/app/app/server.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import serve from 'serve-static';
 import sapper from '../../../dist/middleware.ts.js';
 import { Store } from 'svelte/store.js';
 import { routes } from './manifest/server.js';
+import App from './App.html'
 
 let pending;
 let ended;
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ const middlewares = [
 	},
 
 	sapper({
+		App,
 		routes,
 		store: () => {
 			return new Store({