diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+## Changes in 0.33.0
+  - Support GHC 8.8.1: `fail` is no longer a part of `Monad`. Instead, it lives
+    in the `MonadFail` class. Adapting our code to this change meant changing
+    the types of exporting functions, unfortunately, hence the major version
+    bump.
+
 ## Changes in 0.32.0
   - Support Cabal 3.0
   - Switch reexported-modules to comma-separated list
diff --git a/hpack.cabal b/hpack.cabal
--- a/hpack.cabal
+++ b/hpack.cabal
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 cabal-version: 1.12
 
--- This file has been generated from package.yaml by hpack version 0.31.2.
+-- This file has been generated from package.yaml by hpack version 0.32.0.
 --
 -- see: https://github.com/sol/hpack
 --
--- hash: c5457d3b30dfe5c53d197ff823ed96a5e37e8958aceebdad81606299b87f341d
+-- hash: dc706425edd9fa60b9662cefde8da5d890fb9cf19c8f0f9e01733b763bfcd06a
 
 name:           hpack
-version:        0.32.0
+version:        0.33.0
 synopsis:       A modern format for Haskell packages
 description:    See README at <https://github.com/sol/hpack#readme>
 category:       Development
diff --git a/src/Data/Aeson/Config/Parser.hs b/src/Data/Aeson/Config/Parser.hs
--- a/src/Data/Aeson/Config/Parser.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Aeson/Config/Parser.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 {-# LANGUAGE GeneralizedNewtypeDeriving #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE ViewPatterns #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE CPP #-}
 module Data.Aeson.Config.Parser (
   Parser
 , runParser
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@
 
 import           Control.Monad
 import           Control.Applicative
+import qualified Control.Monad.Fail as Fail
 import           Control.Monad.Trans.Class
 import           Control.Monad.Trans.Writer
 import           Data.Monoid ((<>))
@@ -44,7 +46,9 @@
 import           Data.Aeson.Types (Value(..), Object, Array)
 import qualified Data.Aeson.Types as Aeson
 import           Data.Aeson.Internal (IResult(..), iparse)
+#if !MIN_VERSION_aeson(1,4,5)
 import qualified Data.Aeson.Internal as Aeson
+#endif
 
 -- This is needed so that we have an Ord instance for aeson < 1.2.4.
 data JSONPathElement = Key Text | Index Int
@@ -61,7 +65,7 @@
   Aeson.Index n -> Index n
 
 newtype Parser a = Parser {unParser :: WriterT (Set JSONPath) Aeson.Parser a}
-  deriving (Functor, Applicative, Alternative, Monad)
+  deriving (Functor, Applicative, Alternative, Monad, Fail.MonadFail)
 
 liftParser :: Aeson.Parser a -> Parser a
 liftParser = Parser . lift
diff --git a/src/Hpack/Config.hs b/src/Hpack/Config.hs
--- a/src/Hpack/Config.hs
+++ b/src/Hpack/Config.hs
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 {-# LANGUAGE DeriveAnyClass #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE FlexibleInstances #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE LambdaCase #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE LiberalTypeSynonyms #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE RecordWildCards #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE CPP #-}
diff --git a/src/Hpack/Syntax/BuildTools.hs b/src/Hpack/Syntax/BuildTools.hs
--- a/src/Hpack/Syntax/BuildTools.hs
+++ b/src/Hpack/Syntax/BuildTools.hs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 , SystemBuildTools(..)
 ) where
 
+import qualified Control.Monad.Fail as Fail
 import           Data.Text (Text)
 import qualified Data.Text as T
 import           Data.Semigroup (Semigroup(..))
@@ -53,7 +54,7 @@
       buildToolFromString :: Text -> Parser (ParseBuildTool, DependencyVersion)
       buildToolFromString s = parseQualifiedBuildTool s <|> parseUnqualifiedBuildTool s
 
-      parseQualifiedBuildTool :: Monad m => Text -> m (ParseBuildTool, DependencyVersion)
+      parseQualifiedBuildTool :: Fail.MonadFail m => Text -> m (ParseBuildTool, DependencyVersion)
       parseQualifiedBuildTool = fmap fromCabal . cabalParse "build tool" . T.unpack
         where
           fromCabal :: D.ExeDependency -> (ParseBuildTool, DependencyVersion)
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@
             , DependencyVersion Nothing $ versionConstraintFromCabal version
             )
 
-      parseUnqualifiedBuildTool :: Monad m => Text -> m (ParseBuildTool, DependencyVersion)
+      parseUnqualifiedBuildTool :: Fail.MonadFail m => Text -> m (ParseBuildTool, DependencyVersion)
       parseUnqualifiedBuildTool = fmap (first UnqualifiedBuildTool) . parseDependency "build tool"
 
 newtype SystemBuildTools = SystemBuildTools {
@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@
       , parseName = T.unpack
       }
 
-      parseSystemBuildTool :: Monad m => Text -> m (String, VersionConstraint)
+      parseSystemBuildTool :: Fail.MonadFail m => Text -> m (String, VersionConstraint)
       parseSystemBuildTool = fmap fromCabal . cabalParse "system build tool" . T.unpack
         where
           fromCabal :: D.LegacyExeDependency -> (String, VersionConstraint)
diff --git a/src/Hpack/Syntax/Dependencies.hs b/src/Hpack/Syntax/Dependencies.hs
--- a/src/Hpack/Syntax/Dependencies.hs
+++ b/src/Hpack/Syntax/Dependencies.hs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 , parseDependency
 ) where
 
+import qualified Control.Monad.Fail as Fail
 import           Data.Text (Text)
 import qualified Data.Text as T
 import           Data.Semigroup (Semigroup(..))
@@ -59,7 +60,7 @@
 dependencyInfo :: Value -> Parser DependencyInfo
 dependencyInfo = withDependencyVersion (DependencyInfo []) addMixins
 
-parseDependency :: Monad m => String -> Text -> m (String, DependencyVersion)
+parseDependency :: Fail.MonadFail m => String -> Text -> m (String, DependencyVersion)
 parseDependency subject = fmap fromCabal . cabalParse subject . T.unpack
   where
     fromCabal :: D.Dependency -> (String, DependencyVersion)
diff --git a/src/Hpack/Syntax/DependencyVersion.hs b/src/Hpack/Syntax/DependencyVersion.hs
--- a/src/Hpack/Syntax/DependencyVersion.hs
+++ b/src/Hpack/Syntax/DependencyVersion.hs
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 ) where
 
 import           Control.Applicative
+import qualified Control.Monad.Fail as Fail
 import           Data.Maybe
 import           Data.Scientific
 import           Data.Text (Text)
@@ -140,13 +141,13 @@
       | otherwise = 0
     e = base10Exponent n
 
-parseVersionRange :: Monad m => String -> m VersionConstraint
+parseVersionRange :: Fail.MonadFail m => String -> m VersionConstraint
 parseVersionRange = fmap versionConstraintFromCabal . parseCabalVersionRange
 
-parseCabalVersionRange :: Monad m => String -> m D.VersionRange
+parseCabalVersionRange :: Fail.MonadFail m => String -> m D.VersionRange
 parseCabalVersionRange = cabalParse "constraint"
 
-cabalParse :: (Monad m, D.Parsec a) => String -> String -> m a
+cabalParse :: (Fail.MonadFail m, D.Parsec a) => String -> String -> m a
 cabalParse subject s = case D.eitherParsec s of
   Right d -> return d
   Left _ ->fail $ unwords ["invalid",  subject, show s]