Merriam Press Historical Fiction. Anatahan is a small island in the Marianas that during World War II during World War II. This is a semi-fictionalized account of the trials and tribulations of life on a deserted island, while a major war rages throughout the surrounding area. The island was populated with a few natives and two Japanese couples assigned to oversee the island's coconut plantation and copra crop. The war invades the tranquil nature of Anatahan when four small Japanese ships are bombed off its coast and 32 survivors make it to Anatahan's shore. The story of the survivors, the Japanese couples, the natives, and their interactions, which at times are animalistic, are the crux of this story. The story comes to a head when outsiders come to convince them that the war has really ended. An unbelievable tale of the fate of the Anatahan few. 18 photos, 5 illustrations, 3 maps.