diff --git a/confit/utils/xjson.py b/confit/utils/xjson.py
index 5826787..a780571 100644
--- a/confit/utils/xjson.py
+++ b/confit/utils/xjson.py
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-import re
-from json.encoder import ESCAPE_DCT
+import ast
 from typing import Any, Callable
 
 from lark import Lark, Transformer, Tree
@@ -69,7 +68,6 @@ def __eq__(self, other):
     SIGNED_FLOAT: ["+"|"-"] FLOAT
     SIGNED_INT: ["+"|"-"] INT
 
-    %import common.ESCAPED_STRING
     %import common.LETTER
     %import common.DIGIT
     %import common.FLOAT
@@ -98,14 +96,7 @@ def __init__(self, input_string: str):
     def string(self, s):
         """Parse string"""
         (s,) = s
-        if (
-            s.startswith('"')
-            and s.endswith('"')
-            or s.startswith("'")
-            and s.endswith("'")
-        ):
-            return s[1:-1]
-        return s
+        return ast.literal_eval(s)
 
     def float(self, n):
         """Parse number"""
@@ -170,18 +161,12 @@ def _floatstr(o, _repr=float.__repr__, _inf=float("inf"), _neginf=-float("inf"))
     return text
 
 
-ESCAPE_DCT_DOUBLE = {**ESCAPE_DCT, '"': '\\"'}
-ESCAPE_DCT_DOUBLE.pop('"')
-ESCAPE_DCT_DOUBLE.pop("\\")
-
-
 def _encode_str(s):
     """Return an ASCII-only JSON representation of a Python string"""
-
-    if s.count('"') > s.count("'"):
-        return "'" + re.sub("'", "\\'", s) + "'"
-    else:
-        return '"' + re.sub('"', '\\"', s) + '"'
+    r = repr(s)
+    if s.count('"') <= s.count("'") and r.startswith("'"):
+        r = '"' + s.replace('"', '\\"').replace("\\'", "'") + '"'
+    return r
 
 
 def _make_iterencode(
diff --git a/tests/test_config_instance.py b/tests/test_config_instance.py
index 78d1fcd..31ed74d 100644
--- a/tests/test_config_instance.py
+++ b/tests/test_config_instance.py
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ def test_strings():
         "bar": "bar",
         "val": "val",
         "quoted": "'val'",
-        "esc": '\\"val\\"',
+        "esc": '"val"',
     }
     assert (
         cfg.to_str()
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ def test_strings():
 bar = "bar"
 val = "val"
 quoted = "'val'"
-esc = '\\"val\\"'
+esc = '"val"'
 
 """
     )
@@ -580,7 +580,10 @@ def test_string():
         """
     [section]
     string1 = '\"ok\"'
-    string2 = "\\bok\\b"
+    # When writing config strings in Python
+    # We have to double escape the backslashes,
+    # once for Python and once for the config parser
+    string2 = "\\\\bok\\\\b"
     string3 = ok
     """
     )