diff --git a/values.go b/values.go
index ff2dfbfb..fe8f82fa 100644
--- a/values.go
+++ b/values.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"database/sql/driver"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"math"
 	"net"
 	"reflect"
@@ -2999,12 +3000,42 @@ func decodeTextArray(vr *ValueReader) []string {
 	return a
 }
 
+func EscapeAclItem(acl string) (string, error) {
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	r := strings.NewReader(acl)
+	for {
+		rn, _, err := r.ReadRune()
+		if err != nil {
+			if err == io.EOF {
+				// This error was expected and is OK
+				return buf.String(), nil
+			}
+			// This error was not expected
+			return "", err
+		}
+		if NeedsEscape(rn) {
+			buf.WriteRune('\\')
+		}
+		buf.WriteRune(rn)
+	}
+}
+
+func NeedsEscape(rn rune) bool {
+	return rn == '\\' || rn == ',' || rn == '"' || rn == '}'
+}
+
 // XXX: encodeAclItemSlice; using text encoding, not binary
 func encodeAclItemSlice(w *WriteBuf, oid Oid, aclitems []AclItem) error {
 	// cast aclitems into strings so we can use strings.Join
 	strs := make([]string, len(aclitems))
+	var escaped string
+	var err error
 	for i := range strs {
-		strs[i] = string(aclitems[i])
+		escaped, err = EscapeAclItem(string(aclitems[i]))
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		strs[i] = string(escaped)
 	}
 
 	str := strings.Join(strs, ",")
@@ -3014,6 +3045,121 @@ func encodeAclItemSlice(w *WriteBuf, oid Oid, aclitems []AclItem) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func ParseAclItemArray(arr string) ([]string, error) {
+	r := strings.NewReader(arr)
+	// Difficult to guess a performant initial capacity for a slice of
+	// values, but let's go with 5.
+	vals := make([]string, 0, 5)
+	// A single value
+	vlu := ""
+	for {
+		// Grab the first/next/last rune to see if we are dealing with a
+		// quoted value, an unquoted value, or the end of the string.
+		rn, _, err := r.ReadRune()
+		if err != nil {
+			if err == io.EOF {
+				// This error was expected and is OK
+				return vals, nil
+			}
+			// This error was not expected
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		if rn == '"' {
+			// Discard the opening quote of the quoted value.
+			vlu, err = ParseQuotedAclItem(r)
+		} else {
+			// We have just read the first rune of an unquoted (bare) value;
+			// put it back so that ParseBareValue can read it.
+			err := r.UnreadRune()
+			if err != nil {
+				// This error was not expected.
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			vlu, err = ParseBareAclItem(r)
+		}
+
+		if err != nil {
+			if err == io.EOF {
+				// This error was expected and is OK.
+				vals = append(vals, vlu)
+				return vals, nil
+			}
+			// This error was not expected.
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		vals = append(vals, vlu)
+	}
+}
+
+func ParseBareAclItem(r *strings.Reader) (string, error) {
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	for {
+		rn, _, err := r.ReadRune()
+		if err != nil {
+			// Return the read value in case the error is a harmless io.EOF.
+			// (io.EOF marks the end of a bare value at the end of a string)
+			return buf.String(), err
+		}
+		if rn == ',' {
+			// A comma marks the end of a bare value.
+			return buf.String(), nil
+		} else {
+			buf.WriteRune(rn)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func ParseQuotedAclItem(r *strings.Reader) (string, error) {
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	for {
+		rn, escaped, err := ReadPossiblyEscapedRune(r)
+		if err != nil {
+			if err == io.EOF {
+				// Even when it is the last value, the final rune of
+				// a quoted value should be the final closing quote, not io.EOF.
+				return "", fmt.Errorf("unexpected end of quoted value")
+			}
+			// Return the read value in case the error is a harmless io.EOF.
+			return buf.String(), err
+		}
+		if !escaped && rn == '"' {
+			// An unescaped double quote marks the end of a quoted value.
+			// The next rune should either be a comma or the end of the string.
+			rn, _, err := r.ReadRune()
+			if err != nil {
+				// Return the read value in case the error is a harmless io.EOF.
+				return buf.String(), err
+			}
+			if rn != ',' {
+				return "", fmt.Errorf("unexpected rune after quoted value")
+			}
+			return buf.String(), nil
+		}
+		buf.WriteRune(rn)
+	}
+}
+
+// Returns the next rune from r, unless it is a backslash;
+// in that case, it returns the rune after the backslash. The second
+// return value tells us whether or not the rune was
+// preceeded by a backslash (escaped).
+func ReadPossiblyEscapedRune(r *strings.Reader) (rune, bool, error) {
+	rn, _, err := r.ReadRune()
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, false, err
+	}
+	if rn == '\\' {
+		// Discard the backslash and read the next rune.
+		rn, _, err = r.ReadRune()
+		if err != nil {
+			return 0, false, err
+		}
+		return rn, true, nil
+	}
+	return rn, false, nil
+}
+
 // XXX: decodeAclItemArray; using text encoding, not binary
 func decodeAclItemArray(vr *ValueReader) []AclItem {
 	if vr.Len() == -1 {
@@ -3030,7 +3176,9 @@ func decodeAclItemArray(vr *ValueReader) []AclItem {
 
 	// remove the '{' at the front and the '}' at the end
 	str = str[1 : len(str)-1]
-	strs := strings.Split(str, ",")
+	strs, _ := ParseAclItemArray(str)
+	// XXX: what do I do with the error here?
+	// XXX strs := strings.Split(str, ",")
 
 	// cast strings into AclItems before returning
 	aclitems := make([]AclItem, len(strs))
diff --git a/values_test.go b/values_test.go
index 01e5114b..8c5d1032 100644
--- a/values_test.go
+++ b/values_test.go
@@ -672,13 +672,14 @@ func TestAclArrayDecoding(t *testing.T) {
 			[]pgx.AclItem{"=r/postgres", "postgres=arwdDxt/postgres"},
 		},
 		{
-			[]pgx.AclItem{"=r/postgres", "postgres=arwdDxt/postgres", `postgres=arwdDxt/\" tricky\, ' \} \"\" \\ test user \"`},
+			[]pgx.AclItem{"=r/postgres", "postgres=arwdDxt/postgres", `postgres=arwdDxt/" tricky, ' } "" \ test user "`},
 		},
 	}
 	for i, tt := range tests {
 		err := conn.QueryRow(sql, tt.query).Scan(&scan)
 		if err != nil {
-			t.Errorf(`%d. error reading array: %v`, i, err)
+			// t.Errorf(`%d. error reading array: %v`, i, err)
+			t.Errorf(`%d. error reading array: %v query: %s`, i, err, tt.query)
 			if pgerr, ok := err.(pgx.PgError); ok {
 				t.Errorf(`%d. error reading array (detail): %s`, i, pgerr.Detail)
 			}