diff --git a/lib/index.ts b/lib/index.ts
index 7b62fbd..8a9f71c 100644
--- a/lib/index.ts
+++ b/lib/index.ts
@@ -87,12 +87,7 @@ export class Encoder {
 
     // json data
     if (null != obj.data) {
-      const payload = tryStringify(obj.data);
-      if (payload !== false) {
-        str += payload;
-      } else {
-        return ERROR_PACKET;
-      }
+      str += JSON.stringify(obj.data);
     }
 
     debug("encoded %j as %s", obj, str);
@@ -117,22 +112,11 @@ export class Encoder {
   }
 }
 
-const ERROR_PACKET = PacketType.ERROR + '"encode error"';
-
-function tryStringify(str) {
-  try {
-    return JSON.stringify(str);
-  } catch (e) {
-    return false;
-  }
-}
-
 /**
  * A socket.io Decoder instance
  *
  * @return {Object} decoder
  */
-// @ts-ignore
 export class Decoder extends Emitter {
   private reconstructor: BinaryReconstructor;
 
diff --git a/test/parser.js b/test/parser.js
index d63e08a..e2f05ea 100644
--- a/test/parser.js
+++ b/test/parser.js
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ describe('parser', function(){
     });
   });
 
-  it('properly handles circular objects', function() {
+  it('throws an error when encoding circular objects', function() {
     var a = {};
     a.b = a;
 
@@ -72,9 +72,7 @@ describe('parser', function(){
 
     const encoder = new Encoder();
 
-    encoder.encode(data, function(encodedPackets) {
-      expect(encodedPackets[0]).to.be('4"encode error"');
-    });
+    expect(() => encoder.encode(data)).to.throwException();
   });
 
   it('decodes a bad binary packet', function(){