diff --git a/src/main/groovy/net/kaleidos/hibernate/usertype/HstoreParser.java b/src/main/groovy/net/kaleidos/hibernate/usertype/HstoreParser.java
index 12f5825..8d62d63 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/net/kaleidos/hibernate/usertype/HstoreParser.java
+++ b/src/main/groovy/net/kaleidos/hibernate/usertype/HstoreParser.java
@@ -18,17 +18,29 @@ public class HstoreParser extends PGobject implements Iterable<Map.Entry<String,
 
     private int length;
 
+    private static final String BACKSLASH = "\\";
+    private static final String DOUBLE_QUOTE = "\"";
+
+    private static final String BACKSLASH_PLACEHOLDER = "!#BS#!";
+    private static final String DOUBLE_QUOTE_PLACEHOLDER = "!#DQ#!";
+
     public HstoreParser(String rawValue) {
         this.type = "hstore";
-        this.value = rawValue;
-        this.length = rawValue == null ? 0 : rawValue.length();
+        setUnescapedValueAndLength(rawValue);
+    }
+
+    // To include a double quote or a backslash in a key or value, escape it with a backslash. (https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/hstore.html)
+    private void setUnescapedValueAndLength(String rawValue) {
+        this.value = rawValue
+                .replace(BACKSLASH + DOUBLE_QUOTE, DOUBLE_QUOTE_PLACEHOLDER)
+                .replace(BACKSLASH + BACKSLASH, BACKSLASH_PLACEHOLDER);
+        this.length = this.value == null ? 0 : this.value.length();
     }
 
     @Override
     public void setValue(String rawValue) {
         Assert.state("hstore".equals(type), "HStore database type name should be 'hstore'");
-        this.value = rawValue;
-        this.length = rawValue == null ? 0 : rawValue.length();
+        setUnescapedValueAndLength(rawValue);
     }
 
     public Map<String, String> asMap() {
@@ -36,7 +48,7 @@ public Map<String, String> asMap() {
         try {
             for (final HStoreIterator iterator = new HStoreIterator(); iterator.hasNext(); ) {
                 final HStoreEntry entry = iterator.rawNext();
-                r.put(entry.key, entry.value);
+                r.put(replaceEscapePlaceholders(entry.key), replaceEscapePlaceholders(entry.value));
             }
         } catch (HstoreParseException e) {
             throw new IllegalStateException(e);
@@ -44,6 +56,12 @@ public Map<String, String> asMap() {
         return r;
     }
 
+    private String replaceEscapePlaceholders(String text) {
+        return text == null ? null : text
+                .replace(BACKSLASH_PLACEHOLDER, BACKSLASH)
+                .replace(DOUBLE_QUOTE_PLACEHOLDER, DOUBLE_QUOTE);
+    }
+
     private static class HStoreEntry implements Entry<String, String> {
         private String key;
         private String value;
diff --git a/src/test/groovy/net/kaleidos/hibernate/usertype/HstoreParserSpec.groovy b/src/test/groovy/net/kaleidos/hibernate/usertype/HstoreParserSpec.groovy
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6705cf8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/groovy/net/kaleidos/hibernate/usertype/HstoreParserSpec.groovy
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package net.kaleidos.hibernate.usertype
+
+import spock.lang.Specification
+import spock.lang.Unroll
+
+class HstoreParserSpec extends Specification {
+    @Unroll
+    void "AsMap with value populated by constructor"() {
+        expect:
+        HstoreParser parser = new HstoreParser(input)
+        def map = parser.asMap()
+        map[expected_key] == expected_value
+
+        where:
+        example << escapedCharactersExamples()
+        input = example.input
+        expected_key = example.expected_key
+        expected_value = example.expected_value
+    }
+
+    @Unroll
+    void "AsMap with value populated by setValue"() {
+        expect:
+        HstoreParser parser = new HstoreParser('')
+        parser.setValue(input)
+        def map = parser.asMap()
+        map[expected_key] == expected_value
+
+        where:
+        example << escapedCharactersExamples()
+        input = example.input
+        expected_key = example.expected_key
+        expected_value = example.expected_value
+    }
+
+    def escapedCharactersExamples() {
+        return [
+                // insert into test(hs) values(hstore(ARRAY['key','"value"']));
+                [
+                        input         : /"key"=>"\"value\""/,
+                        expected_key  : /key/,
+                        expected_value: /"value"/
+                ],
+                // insert into test(hs) values(hstore(ARRAY['\key','value']));
+                [
+                        input         : /"\\key"=>"value"/,
+                        expected_key  : /\key/,
+                        expected_value: /value/
+                ],
+                // insert into test(hs) values(hstore(ARRAY['''key'''','value']))
+                [
+                        input         : /"'key'"=>"value"/,
+                        expected_key  : /'key'/,
+                        expected_value: /value/
+                ],
+                // nested hstore
+                [
+                        input         : /"key"=>"\"nested_key\"=>\"1.1\""/,
+                        expected_key  : /key/,
+                        expected_value: /"nested_key"=>"1.1"/
+                ]
+        ]
+    }
+}