diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 954578a..44c7aa8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ They are surrounded by double quotes:
 ```
 str = "The dog says \"woof\"."
 ```
-As you can see, double quotes have to be escaped if used in basic strings.
+As you can see, double quotes have to be escaped if used in basic strings. Valid escape sequences are quotes with `\"`, newlines with `\n` and two digit hexadecimal characters with `\x00`.
 
 ### Multi-line
 They are surrounded by three double quotes on each side.
diff --git a/parser/src/parser.rs b/parser/src/parser.rs
index 24a756d..8911275 100644
--- a/parser/src/parser.rs
+++ b/parser/src/parser.rs
@@ -32,6 +32,53 @@ struct ParserState<'a> {
     path: Option<&'a Path>,
 }
 
+fn escape_string (s: &str) -> Result<String, Error> {
+
+    fn next <T: Iterator<Item=char>> (iter: &mut T) -> Result<char, Error> {
+        iter.next().ok_or_else(||
+            Error::InvalidSyntax("Unfinished escape sequence".to_string())
+        )
+    }
+
+    fn digit_from_char (ch: char) -> Result<u32, Error> {
+        ch.to_digit(16).ok_or_else(||
+            Error::InvalidSyntax("Invalid hexadecimal digit".to_string())
+        )
+    }
+
+    let mut result = String::with_capacity(s.len() - 2);
+
+    let mut chars = s[1 .. s.len()-1].chars();
+
+    while let Some(c) = chars.next() {
+        if c == '\\' {
+            let c = next(&mut chars)?;
+            match c {
+                '\\' => result.push('\\'),
+                '"' => result.push('"'),
+                'n' => result.push('\n'),
+                'r' => result.push('\r'),
+                'x' => {
+                    let a = digit_from_char(next(&mut chars)?)?;
+                    let b = digit_from_char(next(&mut chars)?)?;
+                    let n = a*16 + b;
+                    if n > 127 {
+                        return Err(Error::InvalidSyntax("Not an ASCII value".to_string()));
+                    }
+                    result.push(n as u8 as char);
+                }
+                c => return Err(Error::InvalidSyntax(
+                    format!("Invalid escape sequence: \\{}", c)
+                ))
+            }
+        } else {
+            result.push(c);
+        }
+    }
+
+    Ok(result)
+}
+
 impl<'a> ParserState<'a> {
     // TODO: error on different cast/default type
     fn parse_env_var(&self, pair: Pair<Rule>) -> Value {
@@ -136,7 +183,7 @@ impl<'a> ParserState<'a> {
                 "false" => Value::Boolean(false),
                 _ => unreachable!(),
             },
-            Rule::string => Value::String(pair.as_str().replace("\"", "").to_string()),
+            Rule::string => Value::String(escape_string(pair.as_str()).unwrap()),
             Rule::multiline_string => {
                 let text = pair.as_str().replace("\"\"\"", "");
                 if text.starts_with('\n') {
diff --git a/parser/src/scl.pest b/parser/src/scl.pest
index c7ff3f5..512973f 100644
--- a/parser/src/scl.pest
+++ b/parser/src/scl.pest
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ comments = _{ "#" ~ (!line_end ~ any)* ~ line_end }
 
 /// LITERALS
 boolean          = { "true" | "false" }
-string           = @{ "\"" ~ (!("\"") ~ any)* ~ "\"" }
+string           = @{ "\"" ~ ( "\\" ~ any | !("\"" | "\\") ~ any)* ~ "\"" }
 multiline_string = @{ "\""{3} ~ (!("\""{3}) ~ any)* ~ "\""{3} }
 
 // normal digits or a set of readable one (ie preceded by an underscore)
diff --git a/parser/src/tests/parser.rs b/parser/src/tests/parser.rs
index 7d63b1c..be5014c 100644
--- a/parser/src/tests/parser.rs
+++ b/parser/src/tests/parser.rs
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ fn parse_simple_key_value() {
         ("val = true", Value::Boolean(true)),
         ("val = false", Value::Boolean(false)),
         (r#"val = "a string""#, Value::String("a string".to_string())),
+        (
+            r#"val = "a \n\r\"\x21 \\string""#,
+            Value::String("a \n\r\"\x21 \\string".to_string()),
+        ),
         (
             r#"val = """a \n\r "'string""""#,
             Value::String(r#"a \n\r "'string"#.to_string()),
diff --git a/parser/tests/valid.rs b/parser/tests/valid.rs
index dd42cea..464956b 100644
--- a/parser/tests/valid.rs
+++ b/parser/tests/valid.rs
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ fn test_basic() {
             "ho" => V::Array(vec![V::Integer(1), V::Integer(2), V::Integer(3)]),
             "hey" => V::Array(vec![V::Integer(1), V::Integer(2)]),
             "max_upload_size" => V::Integer(10000000),
+            "escaped" => V::String("this \"is\" an\nescaped string\x21".to_string()),
             "db" => V::Dict(btreemap!(
                 "url" => V::String("blabla".to_string()),
                 "password" => V::String("****".to_string()),
diff --git a/parser/tests/valid/basic.scl b/parser/tests/valid/basic.scl
index 173927b..5c08a7c 100644
--- a/parser/tests/valid/basic.scl
+++ b/parser/tests/valid/basic.scl
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ hey = [
 ]
 max_upload_size = 10MB
 
+escaped = "this \"is\" an\nescaped string\x21"
+
 # other = include "other.scl"