diff --git a/pipe_io_server/pipe_reader_thread.py b/pipe_io_server/pipe_reader_thread.py
index 4bce19d..487fa64 100644
--- a/pipe_io_server/pipe_reader_thread.py
+++ b/pipe_io_server/pipe_reader_thread.py
@@ -1,44 +1,50 @@
-from contextlib import suppress
-from os import open as osopen
-from os import write, close, O_WRONLY, O_NONBLOCK
+# pylint: disable=redefined-builtin,too-many-instance-attributes
+from contextlib import contextmanager
+from os import O_NONBLOCK, O_RDONLY, open, fdopen, close, write, pipe
 from threading import Thread
+from select import select
 
 from .terminate_process_on_failure import terminate_process_on_failure
 
 
 class PipeReaderThread(Thread):
-    eof = b''
-    stop_sequence = b'stop_reading\n'
-
     def __init__(self, pipe_path, stop_event, message_handler):
         super().__init__(daemon=True)
         self._message_handler = message_handler
         self._pipe_path = pipe_path
+        self._read_fd, self._read_fp = None, None
+        self._stop_signal_rfd, self._stop_signal_wfd = pipe()
+        self._msg_buf = b''
         self._stop_event = stop_event
 
     @terminate_process_on_failure
     def run(self):
-        with self._open() as pipe:
+        with self._open():
             while True:
-                message = pipe.readline()
-                if message == self.stop_sequence:
+                can_read, _, _ = select([self._read_fd, self._stop_signal_rfd], [], [])
+                if self._stop_signal_rfd in can_read:
                     self._stop_event.set()
                     break
-                if message == self.eof:
-                    self._open().close()
-                    continue
-                self._message_handler(message[:-1])
+                for msg in iter(self._read_fp.readline, b''):
+                    self._msg_buf += msg
+                    if self._msg_buf.endswith(b'\n'):
+                        self._message_handler(self._msg_buf[:-1])
+                        self._msg_buf = b''
 
+    @contextmanager
     def _open(self):
-        return open(self._pipe_path, 'rb')
+        self._read_fd = open(self._pipe_path, O_RDONLY | O_NONBLOCK)
+        self._read_fp = fdopen(self._read_fd, 'rb')
+        yield
+        self._read_fp.close()
+        close(self._stop_signal_rfd)
+        close(self._stop_signal_wfd)
+
 
     def stop(self):
-        while self.is_alive():
+        if self.is_alive():
             self._unblock()
         self.join()
 
     def _unblock(self):
-        with suppress(OSError):
-            fd = osopen(self._pipe_path, O_WRONLY | O_NONBLOCK)
-            write(fd, self.stop_sequence)
-            close(fd)
+        write(self._stop_signal_wfd, b'1')
diff --git a/pipe_io_server/pipe_writer_thread.py b/pipe_io_server/pipe_writer_thread.py
index 3bc3fe7..822c868 100644
--- a/pipe_io_server/pipe_writer_thread.py
+++ b/pipe_io_server/pipe_writer_thread.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-from contextlib import suppress
-from os import O_NONBLOCK, O_RDONLY, close
-from os import open as osopen
+# pylint: disable=redefined-builtin
+from contextlib import suppress, contextmanager
+from os import O_NONBLOCK, O_RDONLY, O_WRONLY, open, close, write, read
 from threading import Thread
 
 from .terminate_process_on_failure import terminate_process_on_failure
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ class PipeWriterThread(Thread):
     def __init__(self, pipe_path, stop_event):
         super().__init__(daemon=True)
         self._pipe_path = pipe_path
+        self._write_fd, self._drain_fd = None, None
         self._stop_event = stop_event
         self._write_queue = Deque()
 
@@ -19,24 +20,21 @@ class PipeWriterThread(Thread):
 
     @terminate_process_on_failure
     def run(self):
-        with self._open() as pipe:
+        with self._open():
             while True:
                 message = self._write_queue.pop()
                 if message is None:
                     self._stop_event.set()
                     break
-                try:
-                    pipe.write(message + b'\n')
-                    pipe.flush()
-                except BrokenPipeError:
-                    try:  # pipe was reopened, close() flushed the message
-                        pipe.close()
-                    except BrokenPipeError:  # close() discarded the message
-                        self._write_queue.push_front(message)
-                    pipe = self._open()
+                write(self._write_fd, message + b'\n')
 
+    @contextmanager
     def _open(self):
-        return open(self._pipe_path, 'wb')
+        self._drain_fd = open(self._pipe_path, O_RDONLY | O_NONBLOCK)
+        self._write_fd = open(self._pipe_path, O_WRONLY)
+        yield
+        close(self._write_fd)
+        close(self._drain_fd)
 
     def stop(self):
         while self.is_alive():
@@ -44,7 +42,7 @@ class PipeWriterThread(Thread):
         self.join()
 
     def _unblock(self):
+        self._write_queue.push_front(None)
         with suppress(OSError):
-            fd = osopen(self._pipe_path, O_RDONLY | O_NONBLOCK)
-            self._write_queue.push_front(None)
-            close(fd)
+            while read(self._drain_fd, 65536):
+                pass